


Avengers: Casual Affair

by IBegToDreamAndDiffer



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, D/s themes, Dark!Loki, Dark!Tony, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Flashbacks, M/M, based on an awesome fan video, chaos of the loki and tony variety, the avengers and other characters really only make brief appearances, this story is now complete
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-31
Updated: 2014-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-06 22:36:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1112326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBegToDreamAndDiffer/pseuds/IBegToDreamAndDiffer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony met Loki before; before he was Iron Man, before he was kidnapped, before he tried to be a hero. Loki was just a man after weapons, a man who could match Tony for intelligence, wit, and insatiability; a casual affair. But then Iron Man happened; Tony chose his suits over Loki. And, despite what Loki told himself, he cared more for the mortal than he ever should have. Fast-forward a year, and Loki is back, this time on SHIELD's radar. Tony has one last chance to choose; Iron Man or Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Title/Lyrics:** Casual Affair by Panic! at the Disco
> 
>  **Notes:** Based on the very, very awesome FrostIron video by **lighthopelove** that can be found; [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P21sC1hI9AQ). The Stark Industries weapons that appear in this story are entirely fictional because I couldn't find information on any real ones, but they're based on real weapons. Also, I completely fuck with the timeline and exact events in _Thor_ , _The Avengers_ , and the _Iron Man_ movies, but it's an AU, so I'm allowed to.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** The world and characters of _The Avengers_ belong to Marvel. The original idea belongs to **lighthopelove.** I own nothing and make no money from this story.

  
  


“ _Looks innocent enough, doesn't it?_

_But sometimes there are dangers involved that never meet the eye_

_No matter where you meet a stranger, be careful if they are too friendly”_

  
  


_**[Now]** _

  
  


Tony felt something hit him, there was a sharp pain in his shoulder and head, and he vaguely noted someone lowering him to the floor. There was a sharp smile, full of teeth, and eyes as bright as stars, as green as fresh grass.

' _Shh_...' a familiar voice whispered.

After that, everything went black.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


He opened his eyes groggily. It was dark, wherever he was, with only a few soft glows coming from various places. Tony grunted and tried to move, only to groan when his arms and back throbbed in pain. He shook his head and tried again before realising that he was standing and tied to some type of metal thing... a bed?

'Not the way I wanna get into someone's bed,' Tony muttered to himself, tugging on his restraints.

'Oh, good,' a soft voice purred from somewhere in front of him, 'you're awake.'

Tony knew that voice, and he was proven correct when the owner walked forward, now illuminated by the table lamp to Tony's left.

'Loki,' Tony stared at him. 'Couldn't make an appointment?'

Loki flashed him a shark-like grin, one that Tony had seen many times before. He'd never been on the receiving end of it. 'Anthony,' the other man replied.

'What am I doing here?' Tony asked. His head ached, but he didn't remember being hit more than once; he wondered if Loki had taken a few more swings before tying Tony up... or afterwards.

'What are you doing here?' Loki echoed and looked around. He spread his arms, gesturing to the building they were in. 'Why shouldn't you be here, Anthony?' Loki asked.

'Kidnapping,' Tony tried his best to shrug, 'it tends to be frowned upon.'

'It's the only way I could get you to see reason,' Loki told him.

'There's no _reason_ in what you're asking of me!' Tony spat, already feeling his blood heat up. Nobody- absolutely _nobody_ \- could set him on edge this easily and this quickly... nobody but Loki.

Loki's smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and his arms fell to his sides. He didn't look well, Tony noted. His hair was a bit longer than it had been... _before_. There were dark bags under his eyes, his skin was paler than usual, and his green eyes no longer sparked with mischief, just... _anger_.

'You're not a hero, Anthony,' Loki said, his voice low. 'You're a weapons manufacturer.'

'Not anymore!' Tony growled.

'You create chaos,' Loki continued, like the genius hadn't spoken. 'You _revel_ in that chaos. It's why we got along so well.'

Tony swallowed thickly as he remembered just how _well_ he and Loki had gotten along. But that was in the past. Tony wasn't that person anymore. He was Iron Man, he was the man who had single-handedly brought about world peace, he was...

'I'm not the man I was,' he told Loki.

'You can't keep doing this, Anthony,' Loki said, moving closer. He was wearing a weird green-black-and-gold getup Tony hadn't seen before. He looked comfortable in it, though; more comfortable than when he was in the suits and jeans/shirts that he'd worn around Tony's mansion and in public. 'You can't deny who you are,' Loki said. His feet were carrying him closer and closer, and Tony just watched. 'Believe me, I know how painful it is to deny who you are.'

'I'm not denying anything,' Tony said.

Loki laughed, a choked, pained sound that made Tony want to hold him, touch him, _kiss him_. Tony closed his eyes against those thoughts; what Loki was asking of him just wasn't possible, not anymore. Not after Afghanistan.

'I can't,' Tony breathed, his voice cracked.

'You're living a lie,' Loki hissed. 'You spent years, Anthony, _years_ , creating weapons and enjoying it. You didn't care before how many you killed, and you didn't care what people said.'

Tony shook his head. 'I didn't know.'

'Yes you did,' Loki snarled. He was closer, but Tony kept his eyes closed, not wanting to look. His body thrummed with pain, and his wrists were aching worst of all. But not for long, not now that he was awake. 'You knew and you didn't care!' Loki snapped. 'You didn't care until _you_ got hurt!'

'Exactly!' Tony shouted. Loki paused, his body poised with tension, as Tony finally opened his eyes. 'I didn't think about it before, Loki, but I know better now. I know what it's like to be hurt by the shit that should be keeping you safe!'

'Weapons aren't made to keep people safe, Anthony,' Loki snarled. 'They're made to hurt people before they can hurt you. They're made to destroy.'

Tony shook his head, glaring at Loki defiantly. 'I don't make them anymore. And nothing you do will change my mind.'

Loki's eyes narrowed.

'My answer will always be the same,' Tony said. 'I'll always choose Iron Man over you.'

Loki was before him in an instant, his arm snapping out, fingers wrapping easily around Tony's throat. Tony was slammed back against the springs of the bed-frame and his wince turned into a choke as Loki squeezed.

'If you say those words again,' Loki hissed, 'I will _end_ you.'

Tony glared at him, not wavering in the slightest, and coughed when Loki's fingers tightened.

'I want to be respected,' Tony growled, 'not _feared_.'

Loki's fingers slackened, only slightly, and his fingertips caressed Tony's skin. 'Think about what we used to do together, Anthony,' he whispered. 'Think about what we were, what we could be again.'

'What were we, Lokes?' Tony demanded. ''Cause all I remember is a lot of sex and a _hell_ of a lot of fighting.'

Loki's eyes flashed, the green momentarily brighter, before going dull. Tony traced the bruises under Loki's eyes with his own, and saw the paleness of his skin, the lines etched around his eyes, into his forehead.

'We were _nothing_ ,' Tony hissed.

Loki jerked back as though stung, and Tony shook his head as Loki backed up, putting distance between them. The taller man stared down at his hand, flexed his fingers, and then slowly looked up at Tony. 'Is that all we were to you?' he questioned, voice hollow.

The window to Tony's left exploded inwards, and Loki whirled to face it. An Iron Man gauntlet wrapped itself easily around Tony's wrist, breaking through whatever Loki had used to bound Tony to the bed-frame. Loki turned, his eyes widening in surprise, but before he could do anything Tony had fired.

The blast threw Loki several feet back and through the concrete wall. Debris rained down as Tony managed to break his other wrist free. He stumbled forward, his body aching, and reached for the gun that was still tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Apparently Loki wasn't worried about guns. Ever since Tony had spotted Loki the week before, he'd walked around armed. He knew that Loki was dangerous.

He hadn't expected to be kidnapped, but he should have known; stealth was Loki's operation.

Tony wriggled his fingers in the gauntlet and flicked the safety of the handgun off as he walked through the hole in the wall. He found Loki slumped over the steps leading up to what looked like a laboratory. Cuts and bruises covered Loki's face and neck, but he didn't look too injured.

Again, Tony was hit with the knowledge that he didn't quite know what Loki was capable of; he didn't even know what Loki _was_. And the bastard thought that he had the right to demand that _Tony_ tell him everything?

He pointed his repulsor and gun at Loki, who sighed heavily and looked up at him.

Loki held his hand out, and Tony glanced at it before looking back up. 'Will you join me?' Loki asked one last time.

Tony hesitated before shaking his head. 'No.'

'That will always be your answer, won't it?' Loki asked, his voice defeated, his entire body just... giving up. His eyes, normally so bright and full, were dull and dead.

'Always,' Tony confirmed, even though it broke his heart. He just... _couldn't_. He couldn't give Loki another answer.

Loki nodded, though he didn't look too surprised. This attack- kidnapping Tony- it had been Loki's last resort. His last chance to get Tony back on his side.

'Very well,' Loki said. He struggled to his feet, dust and concrete falling from his leather clothing. His eyes wandered over Tony's body slowly, and he heaved another sigh. 'Goodbye, Anthony,' he whispered.

And then, he was gone.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony eventually made his way out of the house- it was a large, abandoned house Loki had taken him to. He still had his StarkPhone in his pocket and switched it on. There were dozens of missed calls, most from Pepper, some from JARVIS. Tony took the Iron Man gauntlet off as he made his way up the road. He used the GPS on his cell to find out just where the fuck he was, and then called a cab.

New fucking York. Oh, of _all_ of the places Loki could have brought him, it had to be here; the place where they'd first met.

Tony let his head fall back and winced as the movement tugged at whatever the fuck he'd hurt on his face. He gently prodded his skin and found a scab on his cheek, and dried blood beneath both his nose and left eye. He sighed and wondered just what the hell Loki had done to him when he'd passed out. The last thing he remembered was mixing a drink at the bar in his Malibu home. And then, bam, awake and tied to a frickin' bed-frame, with Loki standing before him.

Tony's mind went over what had happened; what Loki had said to him, what _Tony_ had said, and...

He sighed again and rubbed his eyes, despite the pain. Loki, he... he was _Loki_. He was stubborn, rude, a bastard most of the time, and _the_ best sex Tony had ever had. He was also funny, witty, charming, and crazy smart. There was a lot he didn't know- mostly pop-culture references- but whenever Tony had spouted something, Loki had obviously gone and researched it thoroughly, because the next time Tony mentioned it Loki would know absolutely everything.

And... Loki clearly wasn't human. At least, not completely. Tony had blasted him through a fucking _wall_ , and Loki had sat up with a few scratches. Who the fuck could do that?

_Let it go_ , Tony told himself. _You made your choice, and it wasn't Loki_.

He'd made the choice before, back when he'd started building his very first Iron Man suit, after Afghanistan. Tony snorted; that was another thing that had hinted at Loki not being human. Tony had gone to sleep one night in that dank, dirt-filled cave, and the next day he'd woken up at home, in Malibu, with Loki leaning over him. Loki refused to tell him how Tony had got home, and Tony had had no answers for Rhodey- and the media- when they'd asked.

The Ten Rings, however, had been completely wiped off of the fucking map. And Loki had looked smug for weeks, beneath the concern.

The cab pulled up outside the hotel, and Tony waited patiently for Pepper to arrive. He was lucky that Pepper was in New York and not Malibu; he had no idea what he'd do for money, seeing as how he hadn't had his wallet on him when Loki had decided to abduct him.

'Tony, what happened?' Pepper demanded as she led Tony into the hotel. 'Do you need me to call the police? Should I call a doctor? You're bleeding, I should call a doctor.'

'No, Pep, I'm fine,' Tony waved her off. She handed over one of his credit cards that she had for some reason- Tony was too tired to give it much thought- and Tony checked himself in for the night. 'It was...' Tony hesitated, unsure what to say. _My ex-lover kidnapped me and asked me to stay with him, to do whatever the fuck I wanted with Iron Man instead of play super hero. I said no, and he left me there_. Tony shook his head. 'I'm fine, Pepper,' he repeated. Pepper continued to stare at him, her eyes large and filled with concern. 'I promise,' he added.

Apart from a few aches and bruises, he _was_ fine. Loki could have done a lot more, but despite his anger and clear disappointment in Tony's decision, he still... what? Tony and Loki had been nothing but lovers; they'd fucked every time Tony was in New York. That was it. They weren't partners, or boyfriends, or whatever the hell people were calling it these days. They were... nothing. A casual affair.

Pepper tried to get more information out of him, but Tony refused to talk. Eventually she agreed to go back to the meeting she'd run off from when Tony had called her, leaving Tony to his own devices.

The first thing he did was head to the closest liquor store and get a very, very large bottle of bourbon. He then locked himself in the hotel room and drank straight from the bottle after flopping onto the sofa.

Tony stared at the amber liquid as he tilted the bottle back and forth. Tony and Loki had... “been together”, for lack of better words, for almost a year. Every time Tony flew to New York for business, Loki would just be there. Tony had tried- fuck, had he tried- to pry information out of Loki. He'd been curious about where Loki grew up, where he lived now, exactly what he did for a living, _everything_. All Loki had said was that he had a brother and was skilled in a lot of trades.

Taking another large swig of bourbon, Tony leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes.

_A casual affair..._

They'd been fuck-buddies, a part-time shag, a way to blow off steam. That was _it_.

_'That will always be your answer, won't it?' he asked, his voice defeated, his entire body just... giving up. His eyes, normally so bright and full, were dull and dead._

_'Always,' Tony confirmed._

Tony had never seen that look in Loki's eyes before, not even after the last argument; the one that had caused Loki to walk out for good and completely disappear. Tony had preformed a half-assed search, but clearly Loki hadn't wanted to be found. Just, _poof_ , gone.

Loki had disappeared _right in front of him_. Tony, with all his knowledge in science and technology, had absolutely _no_ idea what to make of that.

_'Goodbye, Anthony.'_

And then Loki just ceased to exist.

Tony's thoughts were jumping, scrambled like his relationship with Loki, and Tony slapped the bottle against his head, revelling in the dull pain that it made reverberate through his skull. _Anything_ was better than going over his relationship with Loki again and again in his head. He'd been doing it since Loki had walked out four months earlier.

Loki had stuck around longer, before that. He'd just _happened to have business_ in Malibu, and Tony hadn't bothered calling him out on his bullshit. So the Brit had stayed with him him at the Malibu mansion, and stood aside as Tony made a new Iron Man suit, as Tony suffered through nightmares and panic attacks and all the other fucking _shit_ that had followed him home from Afghanistan.

He only disappeared once, just after Tony had inexplicably found himself home rather than in a cave. Tony had woken up to an empty bed and JARVIS informing him that, “ _Mr Odinson left the house an hour earlier and has not returned_.”

When he _did_ return, he was exhausted, had a mad glint in his eyes, and kept a firm hold of Tony long, _long_ after they'd had sex.

Tony still didn't know what to make of that.

Or the fact that the Ten Rings, the men who had kidnapped and _tortured_ him, had apparently been wiped off the face of the earth. Rhodey had told him, and Tony had stared hard into Loki's eyes after mentioning it. Loki's lips had twitched upward, but he hadn't said anything detailed on the subject.

Tony gulped down two or three mouthfuls of bourbon to clear his head. No, that was it, he was _done_. No more thinking about Loki. Not Loki's smile or laugh or wit or apparent ability to travel halfway around the fucking world in a heart-beat. Tony was _done_. He'd made his choice.

The billionaire's heart skipped a beat at the thought of never seeing Loki again. Never waking up to that soft smile. Never slapping Loki's hands away when the other man tried to steal his food. Never playing foot-rest for his High Prince Loki when the green-eyed man decided that Tony was his servant for the day.

None of that. Ever again.

_'We were_ nothing _,' Tony hissed._

A casual affair.

Tony felt the tears before they fell down his cheeks, and choked back a sob as he forced more alcohol down his throat. He wouldn't do this. Not now, not _ever_. He wouldn't cry over any fucking guy, especially not the one who had fucking _kidnapped him_.

'Nothing,' Tony whispered to himself. 'We were _nothing_ ,' he stated firmly.

If only he could get his heart to believe it.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki appeared in his room on Asgard and stumbled. Tony's repulsor blast, coupled with teleporting so many times in one day, had drained Loki significantly. But Loki welcomed the aches and lethargy. He welcomed anything that would rip him away from his own thoughts.

There was nothing more he could do. Anthony had made his decision, and Loki had to accept it. He didn't want to. He wanted to go back down there and rip the Iron Man suit apart piece by piece. He wanted to blast it into tiny dust particles and throw them into the Asgardian sea. He wanted...

He wanted _Anthony_.

Loki had stopped denying that he cared for Tony, at least to himself, after Afghanistan. Before that, Loki had been able to pretend. Pretend that Anthony's laugh didn't warm his heart. Pretend that he didn't sleep better with the mortal by his side.

It was what Loki's life had been filled with since he was a child; he was good at pretending that he was _fine_. That Thor's taunts didn't hurt him, that Odin's clear favouritism- Hel, the whole of _Asgard's_ clear favouritism- didn't hurt. He brushed them all off with sneers and cruel words. He played tricks and acted cold and never let anyone get close. Loki had perfected his masks over a millennium. He knew how to react in any given situation. He knew how to get what he wanted and keep his true feelings buried deep, deep down.

And then Anthony had gotten himself hurt, kidnapped, and Loki had lost it. Everything had come tumbling down.

Loki closed his eyes and pressed his hands against the dresser directly before him. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself, and it almost worked.

Loki lashed out, sweeping everything aside, and vases and books crashed against the floor, some with a _thud_ , others with a loud _crash_. It wasn't enough, and Loki grabbed the dresser itself, throwing it across his chambers. The wood shattered when it hit the wall, and Loki screamed. He tore at his hair and kicked and shouted and destroyed everything in sight. He didn't stop until he found himself slumped on the floor amongst the debris.

There were guards knocking on his door, and Loki snarled at them to leave. They did so quickly, not wanting to inquire the King's wrath.

Loki snorted to himself and rubbed his eyes. _King_. He was King of Asgard, something he had never wanted to be. But Thor was mortal, running around somewhere on Midgard, Odin had fallen into Odinsleep, and for some reason Frigga had thought that _Loki_ should take the throne.

It didn't matter that he was next in line, and had been trained his entire life to do so. Asgard didn't trust him. Sif and the Warriors Three schemed behind his back. Loki would never be accepted.

Loki pushed the tears of frustration down and stood on shaky legs. It didn't matter. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif didn't matter; Thor didn't matter; Anthony...

Loki closed his eyes. Anthony had made his choice. It was Iron Man, and it always would be. He wanted to play super hero rather than let the chaos that ran through his veins out. He would rather pretend to be _good_ than just be himself.

Tipping his head back, Loki let out a long, deep breath. He had to go and greet the people of Asgard who wanted the King's ear. He couldn't let them see him like this. He wouldn't let _Anthony_ reduce him to _this_.

Loki would never again return to Midgard, he decided. At least, not unless it was to stab one of his daggers very, very deeply into Thor's back. He would avoid New York and Malibu; he wouldn't even _think_ about _him_. Loki would never sully himself with a disgusting human again.

He was Loki of Asgard. He was better than _him_.

Loki threw a glamour up to cover the bruises and cuts that still hadn't healed from his journey through the wall, and also made sure the dark bruises under his eyes were hidden. A quick sweep of his hand down his clothes and Loki was presentable.

With one last, deep breath, Loki left his quarters, ready to rule Asgard once more.


	2. Chapter 2

  
  


“ _Hey, a casual affair_

_That could go anywhere_

_And only for tonight”_

  
  


_**[Then]** _

  
  


Tony grinned as he stepped off of his private jet, a flight attendant smiling at him as he walked down the steps and onto solid ground. He always loved making a grand entrance, and the various people milling about the airport- reporters included- always stopped and stared.

Questions were thrown his way, all about the latest weapons Stark Industries were making, but Tony ignored them. He had to wonder just why these people had been allowed to group in the airport; didn't he employ Pepper and Happy to keep them away?

Pepper was waiting for him, a StarkPad in one hand, already rattling off what Tony had to do and who he had to talk to before he could make his way to Stark Tower. The building was coming along well, and should be finished by the end of the year. Stark Industries needed a New York headquarters; at least that was what Pepper told him. Tony didn't care; he just wanted a large building with _Stark_ written across it dominating the New York skyline.

He stepped into his private car and Pepper slid in after him, still talking, and Tony listened as best he could. He was still slightly hungover from the party the previous night, and the delightful company he'd taken back to his Malibu mansion. Melinda and Kelvin, he thought the two were called. Or Maleny and Calvin. Whatever, it wasn't like he'd be seeing them again.

'Tony? Are you listening?' Pepper's voice broke into his thoughts.

''Course I am, Pep,' Tony said and turned a charming grin on her. Pepper, of course, wasn't amused.

'You have two meetings before the gala tonight, and I'd like you to at least _try_ and listen during them.'

'I will,' Tony promised.

'Mm-hmm,' Pepper said and went back to talking about who would be at the gala. Tony was already wondering if he'd go for a man or woman tonight.

  
  


{oOo} 

  
  


Tony wasn't exactly sure what to make of these... galas, Pepper called them. It was a place for men and women- representing companies, governments, and themselves- to try and catch Tony's eye, either so they could get Stark Industries' contracts, or get into Tony's bed. There were weapons on display beside the food and drink, which Tony always found amusing. Weapons to kill people with, alcohol to loosen the tongues and inhabitation of well-off people, and food to be ignored as people made their rounds.

God, did Tony love it.

There were reporters, of course; they always seemed to be able to weasel their way into these things. And they always called him names; Merchant of Death was a favourite, these days. As well as playboy.

Tony sipped his scotch and made his way around the edge of the large room, trying to avoid being noticed. It was difficult, what with him being Tony Stark and all, but Tony had spent his entire life attending functions like this and knew just what to do to get a few minutes to himself.

He was edging around the buffet when he spotted him.

The man was tall, Tony could tell that even from the distance between them, and was wearing a black suit that hugged his slim frame. A green-and-gold scarf was strewn carelessly around his neck, and he had a large... staff? Cane? Something... in his right hand, which he was spinning this way and that. His dark hair, almost black, was slicked back and curled only slightly around his neck, his nose and cheekbones were sharp behind pale skin, and his eyes were bright, either green or blue, Tony couldn't tell from where he was.

The man swept into the room with a presence that Tony had only been present in on a few occasions; from presidents and royalty; from people either born into power, or comfortable in a power that they'd forged themselves. Tony's eyes tracked the man as he made his way to the bar and ordered a drink, still watching as the man turned towards Tony and leaned against the bar, a tumbler in one large, pale-fingered hand.

His every move was precise and cat-like, and his pink lips barely sipped the drink as he brought it up. His eyes swept over the gathered men and women, and Tony stood tall, took a large sip of his own drink, just waiting until-

The man's eyes landed on him and stayed there. Tony stared back, not bothering to hide the fact that he'd been leering at the man.

One of the man's eyebrows quirked up, and Tony pushed his red-tinted sunglasses down his nose, giving the man a pointed look. A smirk curled at those sinful lips and the man tossed back his entire drink before turning to lean over the bar and order another.

The man's suit jacket rode up, and Tony tried his best to check out the man's ass, but it was impossible from where he stood. He was about to walk over to get a closer look when the man turned and made his way through the crowd.

People parted around him like the Red Sea, and Tony smiled, impressed. Not many people could intimidate the pompous assholes who liked to frequent Tony's parties, and this man did it like it was second nature.

When the man finally reached Tony's side, he sipped his fresh drink and turned to face the guests with the billionaire. Tony didn't bother hiding his leer as his eyes hungrily swept up and down the man. He was all long limbs and lean body, his hands larger than Tony had first thought, his cheekbones sharp and his neck just _begging_ for Tony to bite and lick. He had a good head on Tony in height, so when he finally turned he had to look down at the genius.

His eyes were a sharp, bright, _startling_ shade of emerald green. They had to be contacts, because surely people didn't have that colour _naturally_. But then, the man didn't strike Tony as the kind who particularly _cared_ about how he looked. Oh, he knew he was beautiful; and he knew how to dress to accentuate his lean form. But his hair was slicked back for convenience, rather than style, and his suit was simple despite its expensive fabric. No, this man only did enough to make an impression; he didn't go all-out.

'Mr Stark,' the man said, his voice soft yet confident, his accent English.

'Mr Long-and-Lean,' Tony replied. That earned him a light chuckle and the man took another sip of his drink. 'We haven't met before,' Tony said.

'Would you remember me if we had?' the man queried.

Tony smirked, and made a point of looking the man up and down again. 'With legs like those, I'd _definitely_ remember you, Green Eyes.'

Another light chuckle, and Tony shivered. Either he'd gotten drunk without realising it, or the man's voice had a direct link to his cock. Damn, and here Tony prided himself on being the one doing the seducing.

'You could say that I'm... new, in your _country_ ,' the man said, his lips quirked, like he knew something that Tony didn't.

'Mm,' Tony hummed. 'Your accent... English?'

'Yes,' the man said, though Tony felt like he was lying. No matter; the billionaire really didn't care where the man was from. He just cared about where the man would be, later tonight. Hopefully the answer was; in Tony's bed after being thoroughly fucked. 'You work quickly, don't you, Mr Stark?' the man mused.

Tony blinked. 'Excuse me?' he asked, wondering if he'd missed something in the conversation.

'Don't play coy now,' the stranger purred, and Tony's fucking traitorous body trembled again. _Fuck_. 'Your eyes followed me from the entrance, to the bar, and over to your side,' the man continued. He was smirking at Tony, now, his green eyes alight with mischief. 'I'm aware of your reputation, and let's just say that I have one of my own where I'm from.'

Tony's eyebrows jumped in shock. Wait, was the guy... was he suggesting...

'What?' he blurted. _Nice, Tony, real smooth,_ Tony berated himself.

'I believe we have two options, _Anthony_ ,' the man drawled, and fuck, it should be illegal for sexy green-eyed men to say Tony's full name like that. 'We can stand here for another hour or two, drinking and flirting, before we inevitably end up in bed,' the man said. He turned to face Tony fully and leaned down. His lips ghosted over the shell of Tony's ear, and Tony shivered violently as the man whispered, ' _Or_ we could go back to your hotel right now and fuck until the morn.' He drew back slightly, and his pink tongue made an appearance, licking slowly and teasingly over his bottom lip. 'What say you?'

Tony was already hard, and seriously, what the fuck kind of question was that?

'Just give me your name, Bright Eyes, and we'll get out of here.'

The man smirked and stood to his full height. He swapped his tumbler of alcohol from one hand to the other, and held out his right for Tony to shake. His skin was cold, smooth, soft, and Tony gripped it tightly as the man said, 'Loki Odinson, at your service.'

Tony cocked an eyebrow, and Loki rolled his eyes.

'My family originally hailed from Scandinavia,' Loki explained, 'and, unfortunately, some traditions still stand.'

'Right,' Tony nodded. He brushed his fingers gently over the back of Loki's hand as he let it go, and took great delight in the darkening of Loki's eyes. 'I can get on board with that.'

Tony knocked back the rest of his drink and blindly set it on the buffet table.

'Shall we?' he queried, and Loki gave him a sinful smile before setting his own glass down. He easily followed Tony through the crowd, and Tony heard him chuckle every time they had to stop because Tony was grabbed by men and women alike. Eventually Tony managed to slip outside, Loki following, and he saw Pepper chasing after him as he let Loki slide into the car he'd driven to the gala.

'Tony!' she shouted.

'See ya in the morning, Pep!' he called back and jumped in. He slammed the door shut and started the car. By the time Pepper reached them, Tony was already pulling into traffic, and he smiled when he saw Pepper throw her hands up and storm back inside in the rear-view mirror.

'How bothersome,' Loki mused. Tony glanced at him, then promptly looked back at the road. Loki was lounging in the passenger seat, his legs spread, fingers tracing the seam of his trousers. It wouldn't do to crash the car before he'd gotten to fuck Loki senseless. 'Does your woman usually try to stop your dalliances?' Loki questioned.

'My woman?' Tony barked out a laugh. 'God, if Pepper heard that she'd skin you.'

'And I'd look forward to it,' Loki quipped. Tony glanced at him again, but Loki made no further comments, so he let his eyes slide back to the road.

Eventually they pulled up in front of the hotel Tony was staying in, and Loki was out of the car before Tony had even come to a complete stop. Tony stepped out and a valet rushed forward, catching the keys Tony tossed him.

'Thanks, kid,' he said and slipped a wad of notes into the young man's jacket. If they were well-tipped, they tended to take better care of his cars. Tony hated spending even a few minutes working out the scrapes and dents in his vehicles; it was time he could better spend on blueprints and coding.

Loki was standing just inside the glass doors, and his eyes slid to Tony, dark yet bright at the same time. Tony swallowed thickly and felt heat crawl through his body, from his spine to his toes and back up again. _Fuck_. They'd barely even touched and already Tony was wound-up. What the fuck was Loki doing to him?

He shook that thought from his head as he led Loki over to the lifts. The doors had barely shut before Loki was on him, pushing Tony against the back wall with a _thud_. Tony gasped in surprise, and then groaned when Loki's mouth attached itself to his neck.

He quickly grabbed Loki's ass and tugged him closer, hissing when the action caused Loki to bite _hard_. Damn it, that would leave a mark, and Tony couldn't bring himself to care. Loki rolled his hips and Tony felt the younger man's erection press against his own. He growled and threaded one hand through Loki's hair- which had far less product in it than Tony had assumed- and used it to tug Loki up.

Loki's green eyes met his briefly before Tony crashed their mouths together. The kiss was messy and heated, all tongue and teeth and sloppy lips. They bit and tugged at each other's lips, licked into each other's mouths until all they could taste was the other. Loki pressed Tony further and further against the wall, and the man was stronger than he looked, because Tony could do nothing but try and grind against him, the position not offering enough friction.

He tightened his hold on Loki's head and gave a sharp tug. Loki groaned and ripped his lips away. His breath stuttered as Tony tugged again, the genius' nails digging into his scalp. When Loki looked at him his eyes were blown, only a thin green colour rimmed around his pupils. So Loki liked it rough... that was _very_ good to know.

The elevator finally reached Tony's floor and they broke apart to exit. Loki kept himself pressed against Tony's back, which made it difficult to walk, but the kisses and nips on the back of Tony's neck _more_ than made up for that.

Somehow they managed to reach Tony's hotel room, and the shorter man slid the key-card into the lock, opening the door with a _beep_. Loki pushed him into the room and slammed the door shut, and then he was on Tony again, his hands in Tony's hair, his body pressed as close as he could get it. His mouth found Tony's and they were once again battling for dominance with their lips and teeth and tongues. Tony backed up when Loki stepped forward, the other man using his height advantage to push.

Usually stumbling into walls and furniture while trying to get to the bedroom wasn't fun _or_ sexy. But the sharp sting in his hip from running into a side-table, and the dull pain in his back from being slammed against the wall, just heightened Tony's arousal. _Fuck_ , just what the hell was Loki _doing_ to him?

He used Loki's scarf to pull him in for another biting kiss, and Loki hissed into his mouth when Tony's fingers dug into his hips.

' _Bedroom_ ,' Loki snarled against his lips, followed by a sharp bite that almost drew blood.

'Then let me fucking get there!' Tony snapped right back.

Loki drew back, a scowl on his face, but he was panting and flushed, his lips swollen, a bruise already forming on the lower one. Tony grabbed Loki by the wrist and tugged him down the hallway. Loki followed quickly, and soon enough they were banging through the bedroom door. Loki literally _threw_ Tony onto the bed, and Tony hadn't even stopped bouncing before Loki was atop him.

Tony quickly rectified their position, easily twisting until Loki was on his back, Tony between his legs. Loki just groaned and arched up, rubbed his groin against Tony's and slid both hands into Tony's hair.

'Fuck, you're gorgeous,' Tony panted as he ripped the scarf from Loki's neck. He tossed it over his shoulder, and then shrugged out of his jacket, his tie following. Loki ripped at Tony's shirt, and the material easily gave way, buttons popping from their place and scattering about.

Tony growled and tugged Loki up by the tie, making the taller man choke and then groan. Oh, Loki _definitely_ liked it rough. The material slid from Loki's neck and was carelessly discarded, and the rest of their clothes followed. That was when Tony discovered the delightful fact that Loki went commando.

His cock was long, a bit on the thinner side, but Tony's mouth still watered. Fuck, he wanted to suck it down, wanted Loki to fuck his mouth until his lips were swollen, his jaw aching, his throat dry and well-used.

Tony licked down Loki's long neck, stopping only to bite and suck a hickey into the pale skin. Loki groaned and shivered, and a hand went into Tony's hair again. Loki pressed down roughly, keeping Tony where he was, so Tony moved slightly to the side and bit again, and again and again and again until Loki finally hissed and pushed him down.

Tony's lips and tongue made their way down Loki's chest, biting at a nipple, sucking a new bruise, and then trailing through the thin hair from Loki's bellybutton to his cock.

He inhaled sharply, letting Loki's musky scent fill him, intoxicate him.

'Get on with it, Anthony!' Loki snapped.

Tony looked up at him. 'I think you're confused as to who's running this show, Lokes.'

Loki scowled and thrust up, his cock slapping against Tony's chin.

'Not nice, sweetheart,' Tony scolded. He slapped Loki's thigh sharply, and Loki froze only briefly before tipping his head back and making a fucking _sinful_ sound.

Tony swore harshly and bent to lick and suckle at Loki's balls, earning himself another sound, and another. He licked and sucked and even bit, and all Loki did was writhe and moan like a wanton whore. Oh, Loki was a screamer, Tony just knew it. And he was going to make Loki fucking _scream_.

'Turn over,' Tony ordered when he finally came up for air. He'd avoided Loki's cock and it was dripping pre-come, the liquid smeared over Loki's taut stomach. Loki glared at him for about four seconds before rolling over. He promptly pushed his ass into the air and Tony had to bite his lips. _Jesus fucking Christ on a stick_.

Tony grabbed Loki's pert ass with both hands, spreading his pale cheeks, and Loki moaned into a pillow. Tony ducked down to lick a strip from Loki's lower back, all the way down to his balls. Loki thrust his hips back, moaned again, and shifted onto his knees for better leverage.

Tony wanted to take Loki apart with just his mouth; his lips and tongue. He wanted to suck Loki down and lick into him. He wanted to make Loki a writhing mess of lust with only his mouth.

But right now, more than anything, he wanted to fuck Loki into the mattress. He wanted Loki to come _screaming_ his name.

So Tony sat up and discarded his underwear, the only clothing he was still wearing. His dick sprang free and Tony tugged on it a few times before reaching for the bedside table. He ripped it open and the drawer nearly came free, but Tony didn't care. He grabbed the bottle of lube he'd put there just that morning, and glanced at the box of condoms.

'I'm clean,' he said.

Loki, who'd been panting heavily into a pillow and shaking, turned his head to answer. 'Me too. Just fuck me, Anthony, _now_.'

'Shit,' Tony groaned and leaned back. He popped the cap and squeezed a generous amount onto his palm- probably too much, the gel dripped onto the covers, but Tony had other things on his mind. He tossed the bottle aside and rubbed the lube between his hands, coating three fingers as well as his cock. He put his left hand on Loki's ass and spread Loki's cheeks as best he could. Loki's pink entrance greeted him and Tony wasted no time in thrusting two fingers in.

Loki hissed and bucked, but pushed into the intrusion, easily swallowing Tony's digits despite how tight he was.

'Fuck,' Tony hissed. 'How long's it been?' he asked.

'Too long,' Loki panted and rolled his hips again. 'Get on with it, Stark!'

'Stark now, am I?' Tony laughed. He pulled his fingers almost all of the way out before jamming them back in and Loki groaned, eyes squeezed shut, face pressed into the pillow. His hips rolled against Tony with each thrust, and soon Tony had slipped a third finger in.

He'd barely stretched Loki before the taller man dropped his hips to the bed, Tony's fingers sliding free. 'Fuck me!' he snarled.

'Jesus, alright,' Tony growled. He gave Loki a hard smack, the _slap_ loud in the room, and Loki, of course, groaned. 'Fuck, what you do to me,' Tony muttered as he made sure his dick was well-lubed. He dragged Loki up, the green-eyed man's ass back in the air, and pressed the crown of his cock against Loki's entrance.

He lunged in, not bothering to ease into it, and Loki shouted loudly when Tony quickly and easily bottomed out. It was still a tight fit and Loki's muscles squeezed sinfully around Tony's prick, making Tony groan and fall forward. He clutched at Loki's hips, fingers hard enough to bruise, as he took deep breaths, trying to control himself.

Loki wasn't having any of that. He bucked against Tony and pressed his forearms against the bed, ass still up. 'Fuck me!' he repeated, this time in a whimper. 'Hard, Anthony, _please_.'

'Hard?' Tony echoed and sat up, planting himself on his knees.

'Yes!' Loki hissed.

'Whatever you want, Lokes,' Tony said. And with that he drew out, paused, and slammed back in.

Loki shouted and thrust back, he groaned and moaned, he hissed and _quaked_. His fingers curled at the duvet and almost tore through it as Tony fucked into him, easily finding Loki's prostate on the fifth or sixth thrust. His balls slapped harshly against Loki as he pounded into him, and Loki moaned and begged for it to be harder, _harsher_ , wanting Tony to make him ache for days.

Sweat dripped down Tony's face, he hadn't fucked like this in _years_. Loki kept up and easily took everything Tony had to give, his hips pushing back to meet each of Tony's thrusts. Tony's fingers dug hard into Loki's hips, and he drew blood about two minutes into their coupling. The red liquid beaded on Loki's pale skin before dripping down his thighs, and it just made Loki shout that much louder.

Tony pressed a hand between Loki's shoulder blades, forcing Loki's lower half against the bed. Loki hissed, 'Yes, Anthony, oh Hel, fuck me!' and Tony scratched his hand down Loki's back, drawing long, vivid red marks down the man's pale skin.

'Can you... come... like this?' Tony grunted, every other word punctuated by a hard thrust.

A hard slam into his prostate had Loki choking as he tried to answer, and he drew in a deep, shuddering breath. 'If I- _fuck_ \- r-ride you,' Loki got out through his moans, 'I c-can... uh- come all over... over you.'

For some reason, just the image of Loki painting his chest and stomach almost made Tony come. He drew out of Loki's tight body, ignoring the sound of annoyance Loki made. He leapt up the bed and onto his back, and dug his fingers into Loki's hair. Tony pulled the raven-haired man in for a kiss, and Loki's teeth dug deep into his lips, drawing blood and then licking it away.

'Ride my cock!' Tony snarled and pushed him.

Loki gave Tony a sultry smirk and Tony had to grip the base of his dick to stop from coming as Loki climbed atop him. The slim man practically _rammed_ himself onto Tony's cock, and didn't wait even a second before he started riding Tony with abandon.

Loki was fucking beautiful like this, Tony decided. His hair had come loose because of Tony's fingers and fell in waves around his sharp face. His chest was littered with bite marks and scratches, and Tony added a few more as Loki fucked himself on the genius' cock. Loki gave as good as he got; his nails painted strips down Tony's chest and stomach, his fingers twisted Tony's nipples and made the genius buck up, and he ducked down a few times to lick into Tony's mouth. Sweat trickled down Loki's body, and his cock bounced between them the entire time.

Tony didn't touch it, but his hand snaked down to grip Loki's balls. He pulled, and that was all it took; Loki broke their kiss with a screamed, ' _Tony_!' his come shooting across Tony's chest and stomach. He rode Tony harshly through his orgasm, and Tony held on until Loki's dick went dry.

Finally, Loki's muscles squeezed his climax from him, and Tony was vaguely aware of calling out Loki's name as he filled the taller man. Loki's green eyes watched him from behind a veil of black hair, half-lidded and still dark.

When neither could continue, Loki toppled off of Tony, his movements still graceful despite his obvious lethargy. He dropped onto the bed beside Tony and took gasping breaths, eyes closed, while beside him Tony did the same.

The room was suddenly silent apart from their harsh attempts to get air back into their lungs. Tony's body ached like it hadn't in years, and Tony smiled smugly when he briefly turned to look at Loki. The other man looked _wrecked_.

''M not done with you,' Tony muttered.

Loki chuckled breathlessly. 'I'd be very disappointed if you were, Anthony,' he said in a hoarse voice.

Tony's smirk widened.

'Am I allowed the luxury of resting here the night?' Loki questioned after another minute of silence. 'Or shall I depart before the morn?'

'Uh...' Tony breathed heavily, 'nah, you can stay. Like I said; I'm not done with you. Just, uh...'

'Leave once I wake,' Loki supplied for him. 'Yes, I know. I've done this before, Anthony.'

Tony groaned. 'Stop that.'

Loki turned to him, an innocent look pasted across his face. Tony didn't believe it for a second. 'Stop what?' he asked.

'Stop saying my name like that,' Tony muttered. 'I'm only human, I need a bit of rest before I'm ready to go again.'

'Yes, it's tedious,' Loki sighed. 'But you're rather good, so I shall suffer the breaks you need.'

Tony frowned at him, wondering just what the hell that meant. But Loki clearly didn't want to say any more, and Tony sighed in frustration. People usually didn't confuse him, not like this. Most people were easy to read.

Not Loki.

Tony rolled over and threw an arm across Loki's stomach. When Loki hummed and trailed his fingers over Tony's arm, the genius knew that the Englishman was a cuddler. Which was good, because he was, too, with the right person.

And, apparently, Loki was the right person.

'So...' Tony said, and didn't continue until Loki's green eyes had found his own milk-chocolate ones. 'Just what were you doing at the gala?' He probably should have asked that before, you know, _fucking_ the dude, but Tony's priorities had always been a little messed up.

'I require your services,' Loki answered simply.

'In the bedroom?' Tony asked.

Loki chuckled. 'Yes, in the bedroom,' he agreed. 'But I also require the services of Stark Industries.'

'Ah, you want weapons,' Tony said. He wasn't surprised; there'd be no other reason for Loki to be at the gala. 'Business or pleasure?'

'Business,' Loki said. 'Although, if I happen to take great pleasure in procuring weapons form you, well... that is just a happy side-affect.'

'What do you need?' Tony asked. He didn't even think twice about handing over weapons to a man he barely knew. His company did it all the time. So what if, this time, Tony was taking a more hands-on approach?

'The details are in my pocket, and my pocket is currently hanging over the dresser,' Loki said. He rolled over and tugged Tony closer, his lips ghosting over Tony's stubbly cheek, and then his tongue, too. 'But how about we discuss that later?' he said and nipped at Tony's lips.

Tony groaned and tugged Loki in for a kiss. Yeah, business could wait.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki had barely slid from the mortal's bed when Anthony whimpered, ' _No_ , Loki, please! I just need a few minutes rest!'

Loki chuckled and leaned over to tap Tony's forehead. The billionaire cracked an eye open. 'I wasn't going to ask you for another coupling, Anthony,' the Æsir explained. 'I was simply getting up to re-dress so I could leave.'

Tony blinked. 'Oh,' he yawned. 'Wait, why are ya leavin'?' he mumbled.

'Because you asked me to be gone by the morn,' Loki said as he stood. He wandered around the room, hunting down his clothes. If he were alone he could simply summon them, but Tony Stark was rather smart for a mortal; it wouldn't do for the man to see Loki perform magic. 'According to my watch, it is the morn,' Loki then told the human.

He pulled his trousers on, as well as his shirt and jacket, and looped his tie and scarf around his neck. As he sat on the bed to pull his socks and shoes on, Tony finally got up.

'Well, uh...' Tony murmured, 'you don't, um... _have_ to leave,' he mumbled.

Loki raised an eyebrow but didn't look up. 'I thought you wanted me to.'

'Well, usually, yeah,' Tony agreed. 'But sometimes, you know, I like to have breakfast with someone. Or are you in a hurry?'

'I don't necessarily have to be anywhere,' Loki said slowly. He finished tying his shoelaces and finally looked at the mortal. 'Are you asking me to dine with you?'

Tony huffed and pushed himself from the bed. Loki tilted his head, smirking when he noted the bite-marks on Tony's rather nice arse.

'Calm down, Lokes, it's just breakfast,' the mortal muttered as he walked into the en-suite bathroom. Loki heard splashing water, and Tony rinsing his mouth. When he re-entered the bedroom he tugged on a pair of what Loki believed were called sweats, as well as a cotton t-shirt with _AC/DC_ written across it in bold red script. 'So, you interested?' Tony asked. He wiggled his eyebrows. 'You never know, I might blow you afterwards.'

Loki chuckled and stood. 'Very well, Anthony, I shall let you dine me.' He closed the gap between them with one step, and smirked when Tony's breathing hitched. 'Perhaps we could make it an early-morning fuck, hmm?'

'Jesus!' Tony gasped and took a step back. 'Okay, new rule; _you_ aren't allowed to swear this early in the morning, alright? Tony Jr needs a little break every now and then.'

Loki raised his eyebrows and glanced down at the mortal's now-covered crotch. 'And here I thought you were rather well-proportioned. Perhaps I was merely intoxicated.'

'What?!' Tony spluttered. Loki grinned and left the room. 'Hey, wait, _no_!' Tony shouted and chased after him. 'My dick is big, okay! My dick is _just fine_. My dick made you fucking scream last night, and it'll do it again after-'

Tony cut himself off when he spotted the woman sitting at the kitchen counter, her eyebrows raised, her face set on _disappointed_.

Loki turned to look at Anthony, wondering how he was going to react.

'Er... hey, Pep,' Tony tried a grin.

Ah, yes; Ms Potts. Loki remembered reading about her when he'd first noticed Tony Stark.

'Not that that information isn't _great_ , Tony,' Ms Potts drawled, 'but I came over to make sure that you remember to attend the meeting today at ten-thirty.'

'What? Yeah, of course I'll be there,' Tony said. 'Pinky promise.'

Ms Potts raised her eyebrows yet again; clearly it was a favoured look of hers.

'I promise,' Tony said. Ms Potts' eyes flicked to Loki, who just beamed widely at her. It usually unnerved people, and it proved still affective when the woman turned away. 'He'll be gone by then, won't ya, Lo'?' Tony nudged him.

_Another nickname? How plebeian_ , Loki thought. Aloud, he said, 'But of course. I have business to attend to myself.'

Ms Potts looked between them before finally nodding. She stood and gathered her briefcase. 'Okay. Tony, I'll see you later. It was nice meeting you, Mr...' She trailed off, looking at Loki.

Anthony opened his mouth, but Loki beat him to it. 'Lucas Smith, Ms Potts. Delighted to meet you.'

Tony frowned at him, while Ms Potts just forced a smile and said, 'Likewise, Mr Smith. Tony.' She nodded at her boss and then left, leaving Tony and Loki alone.

'Luke Smith?' the mortal demanded as soon as she was gone. ' _Really_?'

'And how do you know that Luke Smith isn't my real name, and Loki Odinson an alias?' Loki questioned. He walked over to the cooler box- refrigerators, the Midgardians called them- and pulled it open.

'Please, Loki Odinson is _such_ a bad alias,' Tony snorted. 'When you pick an alias, you pick something that won't get you remembered. Everybody would remember a name like Loki Odinson.'

'If you say so,' Loki hummed. 'This is a rather nice hotel.'

'Yup, only the best,' Tony smirked. 'Being a billionaire has its perks.'

_It does indeed_ , Loki mused, thinking of all the riches Odin All-father had stored in various parts of the royal palace.

'So, what do you want?' Tony asked, nudging Loki aside.

Loki had only been on Midgard for a few weeks, but he'd done enough research to at least pass simple things like what foods to eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner. 'Pancakes, if you can make them,' he told the mortal. 'Or eggs, waffles, whatever you wish to make.'

'Oh, and _I'm_ making it, am I?' Tony demanded.

Loki smirked. 'I am _your_ guest, Anthony. Isn't that how it works?'

Tony grumbled, 'Next time I'll make _you_ cook,' under his breath, and busied himself with food preparation.

Loki knew that there wouldn't be a next time. Well, not unless Anthony wanted to throw a fuck in with his weapons, which Loki wasn't adverse to. After that, though, there _definitely_ wouldn't be another time. Like Loki himself, Tony Stark had a different person warming his bed every other night. Unlike Loki, they varied between men and women. Loki had always favoured the flesh of men himself; his marriage to Sigyn had cemented that realisation in his head.

Yes, Tony would go back to his playboy ways, and Loki would go back to Asgard after he finished playing here, on Midgard- Earth, the mortals had named it. Like they had any right to name a planet they'd lived on for barely any time at all.

Loki hummed softly to himself as he watched Anthony work. The man was singing under his breath- horribly, Loki felt the need to add internally- but it made the Æsir smile. People weren't this comfortable around him. Even his own parents feared what he was capable of on occasion. There was always an underlying tension that Loki could never make go away, no matter how hard he tried.

Anthony didn't know who Loki was; he had no idea what Loki was capable of. Loki could throw Anthony from this building with one hand if he so desired, and there was _nothing_ the mortal man could do.

Not that Loki _wanted_ to hurt Tony. He still needed his weapons. And another shag wouldn't be turned down, either.

Loki hadn't meant to sleep with the man, in all honesty. He had planned to flirt, definitely, and maybe touch Stark inappropriately as they discussed a weapons deal. Rushing straight to a hotel room to fuck each other senseless hadn't been on Loki's list of things to do until he had seen the man leering at him.

Anthony Stark had a very, very good leer; one that made Loki shiver and feel hot all over. Despite having only been alive for thirty-odd years in Midgardian terms, Anthony had used that time to learn the art of sex very, very well.

Loki licked his lips and stood, rounding the counter. Anthony was at the... stove, Loki believed it was called. He jumped when Loki wrapped his arms around him, and then groaned when Loki's cold lips ghosted over his neck, quickly warming up.

'L-Loki, _fuck_ ,' Anthony hissed when Loki bit him. He soothed the spot with his tongue, and smirked when he spotted a dark bite mark he'd left on Anthony's skin the previous night. 'I need breakfast, Lokes,' Tony said. 'Sorry to say it, but we aren't all twenty-something hard bodies who don't need any rest.'

Anthony thought that he was in his _twenties_? Loki almost snorted out-loud; what would the Midgardian say if he knew that Loki was thousandsof years old? He'd been alive before the land that Anthony called home had even been colonised by pale-skinned people.

'Mm, after breakfast, then,' Loki finally mumbled into Anthony's ear. He sucked on the lobe and pressed his half-hard erection against Anthony's lower half, and Anthony moaned again.

'Y-Yeah,' he managed to choke out. 'Well, thank fuck eggs only take a few minutes to cook.'

Loki chuckled and drew back. Maybe another few rounds with Tony Stark wouldn't be that bad. He was rather good in bed, for a mortal.


	3. Chapter 3

  
  


“ _Break involuntary ties_

_A secret so the spies_

_Could never find us out”_

  
  


_**[Now]** _

  
  


Travelling through the portal was a lot more volatile than coming to Midgard on his own. But Loki was already hurting; his entire body already ached. He didn't care.

He sensed more than one mortal making their way towards him, and as he looked up he let a twisted smile spread across his face. _Finally_ , he was able to fight. The Other had told him to kill whomever he fancied, and Loki was going to take that to heart. The little insects thought that they could _fight him_ , and Loki found it as amusing as he did bothersome.

Only one mortal had ever impressed him, but that was done, now. The man had made his decision, and despite his trickery and lies, Loki would respect that.

Even if it did break him.

_Sentiment_ , Loki mused as mortals gathered around him, weapons raised. _How the mighty fall. How weak I truly am._

Loki let his smile fall as he stood, having greater difficulty than he would have liked. The tender loving hands of the Other had left him weak, and the journey through the portal hadn't helped at all. Loki spread his arms to steady himself as he looked around, and that was when one of the humans spoke to him;

'Sir, please put down the spear!'

Loki glanced at the sceptre, as though it wouldn't hurt a fly, and then thrust it out, aiming a bolt of magic at the mortal who _dared_ tell him what to do. The one to the dark skinned man's left threw both of them aside, and Loki leapt at the closest mortal.

They fired their primitive bullets at him, bullets that bounced off of Loki's skin like they were pebbles thrown by a mere child. Loki stabbed his sceptre into the mortal he'd landed on and watched as blood trickled from his chest. Loki turned and thrust the sceptre out, again having the satisfaction of watching blue magic erupt from the end, careening through the air and slamming into the floor.

The explosion was small, but loud, and mortals were tossed aside like toys, making Loki grin. A mortal came up behind him, tried to stab Loki in the side with some type of knife. Loki wrapped his arm around the mortal's neck and twisted violently, the satisfying _crack_ loud in the Jötunn's ears. He dropped the mortal and caught sight of four more; one was the man who had thrown the dark-skinned mortal aside, and his bullets actually hit Loki's chest, while the others went wide.

Loki sent another blast of magic at them, and the better marksman once more jumped out of the way, the others thrown back by the explosion.

There were more, coming from the left, and a sadistic smirk spread across Loki's face as he leapt at them. They were too slow, and the sharp tip of Loki's sceptre embedded itself in one of the mortal's chests, forcing him to the floor. Thick blood pumped out of his chest, and Loki watched, fascinated, as the life drained from him.

More crimson liquid gurgled up from his throat and out his mouth, but Loki ripped the sceptre free and turned, not bothering to watch the man die. He swept his weapon across the floor, knocking the other agents off their feet. He stabbed them, too, grinning as he thrust into their bodies, the _crunch_ of bones breaking and the _screams_ of mortals dying filling his ears.

It was over as quickly as it had begun, and Loki stood on the spot, looking around to see if any more mortals would dare cross his path.

Loki spotted the good marskman slowly getting to his feet, gun in hand, and teleported to him. The mortal tried to fight, but Loki pushed his gun away. The man's eyes locked with Loki's, and Loki tilted his head.

'You have heart,' he murmured, and with that he pressed the sceptre to the human's chest. Magic pulsed along the razor-sharp tip and Loki watched as the Tesseract took hold, easily chaining the man to Loki.

Loki smirked and turned away, the new drone- Barton- following. Loki turned a few other humans, while in the corner the dark-skinned man was trying to escape with the Tesseract.

'Please don't,' Loki ordered, and the man froze. 'I still need that.'

'This doesn't have to get any messier,' the man said without turning to face him.

Loki almost laughed. Any messier? He'd already slaughtered a hundred humans, and twenty just here a few minutes ago. 'Of course it does,' Loki told him. 'I've come too far for anything else.'

The man finally turned to face him, his one eye locked on Loki.

'I am Loki of Asgard,' Loki stated. 'And I am burdened with glorious purpose.'

'Loki,' said the one human still standing whom Loki hadn't enthralled- besides the one-eyed man. 'Brother of Thor.'

Loki's entire body tensed and he turned to glare at the man, his jaw working roughly as the mere _reminder_ of the blonde oaf sent anger coursing through him. Even here, on Midgard, a place he'd never truly visited as himself, he was only known as _Thor's brother_.

The eye-patch wearing man raised a hand, trying to placate Loki. 'We have no quarrel with your people.'

'An ant has no quarrel with a boot,' Loki retorted with raised eyebrows.

'Are you planning to step on us?' the man asked.

Loki started walking as he spoke. 'I come with gladtidings,' he told the dark man, his eyes on the other one, 'of a world made free.' He turned to face the man with the Tesseract.

He actually looked worried now. _Good_ , Loki thought. _He should have realised as soon as he saw me that I wasn't to be played with_. 'Free from what?'

'Freedom,' Loki stated, his back to the fair-skinned man. 'Freedom is life's great lie,' Loki said. 'Once you accept that... in your heart...' He turned and pressed the sceptre to the white man's chest, watching as the Tesseract made another drone to follow Loki's every whim. 'You will know peace,' he finished as Doctor Eric Selvig's eyes turned blue.

'Yeah, you say peace,' the dark man spoke, 'I kinda think you mean the other _piece_.'

'Sir,' Barton suddenly spoke up and made his way to Loki's side. 'Director Fury is stalling.' Ah, so that was the man's name. 'This place is about to blow,' Barton continued. 'It'll drop a hundred feet of rock on us.' He and Loki looked at Fury. 'He means to bury us,' Barton finished.

'Like the Pharaohs of old,' Fury said.

'He's right, the portal is collapsing in on itself,' Selvig called from where he was standing before one of the computers. 'We have maybe two minutes before this goes critical.'

Loki thought about that for maybe half a second before turning to Barton. 'Drop him.'

Barton immediately pulled his weapon and fired, hitting Fury in the chest. The man was thrown backwards, the briefcase containing the Tesseract at his feet. Loki strolled forward with his thralls following after, and Barton picked up the Tesseract as they went.

Loki only stumbled once as they made their way through the facility. He still wasn't at one hundred percent, and it annoyed him to realise that the previous fight, however short, had taken a fair amount of energy from him.

Loki shook those thoughts off as he and his mortals reached the vehicles. A woman asked where they were going, and who Loki was, but Barton lied without Loki having to order him. Loki could feel the facility bending and breaking around him, and the group hurried into one of the vehicles. Loki crouched down in the back, thinking about the last time he'd been in a car-

He shook his head roughly and flexed his fingers around the sceptre. The bruises and deep cuts on his body helped push those thoughts aside. He focused on the pain, and on the next part of his mission, rather than _Stark_. Loki felt the clutch the Other had on his mind briefly intensify to remind him of just who was in charge before it disappeared, becoming nothing more than a dull ache in the back of his head.

The female tried to follow them, but Barton was rather skilled at what he did, and Loki was pleased that he'd brought him on-board. Loki had a brief moment of laughter when he shot down a helicopter, the flames lighting up the sky.

He smirked to himself as he sat back again, the car whisking him away into the night.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony was trying to celebrate with Pepper when Coulson barged in.

'His name is _Agent_ ,' he pouted, but both Pepper and Coulson ignored him as Tony picked up the file. There were sticks of data, too, and Tony ignored the paper in favour of those. He plugged them into the closest port and had JARVIS display the information.

There were files upon files of himself, from his birth up to his latest Iron Man skirmish, and Tony brushed them aside. He lingered slightly on the files about Agent Natasha Romanov, and then Agent Clint Barton. He took more time on Captain America's file, spent an entire _minute_ on Bruce Banner's. And then...

And then.

Tony's heart beat wildly against the arc reactor, and he stumbled, catching himself on the table before him.

No.

No _fucking_ way.

'Tony?' Pepper was suddenly at his side, and Tony was vaguely aware of Agent behind her. 'Tony, what's wrong?' Pepper asked. She glanced at the pictures and words now hovering before Tony, and then looked at Coulson when the genius didn't answer.

'Loki, brother of Thor, recently came through the Tesseract,' Coulson explained. 'Unlike Thor, it wasn't a friendly visit. He killed twenty-three agents himself, took five with him, including Hawkeye, and destroyed the facility where the Tesseract was held. He now has it.' He paused to see if Tony was going to say anything. 'We need your help finding him, Mr Stark,' Coulson said.

Tony ran his hands through his hair and tugged tightly, the pain dull compared to the emotions running through his body. Loki... fucking _Loki_. Brother of Thor. Meaning of Asgard, a god, a fucking _sorcerer_ , according to the information SHIELD had gathered.

No... fucking _no_.

It explained everything. It explained Loki's weird name; why Tony could find nothing but Norse mythology results when he researched it; why Loki had been so hesitant to talk about his family and his life in England. It explained why Loki was so strong, able to hold Tony against the wall as they fucked, able to drag Tony into a dark alley after a night out.

Blowing up the facility, coming for the Tesseract, _killing twenty-three agents as well as hundreds who couldn't be evacuated in time..._ that explained why he'd come back for Tony, why he'd tried one last time.

Loki was the bad guy. The Chaos God. What Tony had seen had only been a small taste of the destructiveness that Loki was capable of.

Tony closed his eyes, but the image of Loki stabbing a SHIELD agent in the chest swept behind his eyelids. The feelings currently churning through his gut, the way his heart thumped behind the arc reactor, all of it betrayed Tony's current hero status. Because God fucking _damn it_.

'He looks familiar,' Pepper's voice broke Tony from his thoughts. She was frowning at a picture of Loki, a still-shot taken from Loki's stroll through the middle of the SHIELD facility.

He looked horrible. His hair was so much longer and messier than how he used to keep it, the bags under his eyes were _dark_ , and the hollow look, the way he walked and fought, just... everything about him screamed _torture_.

Tony knew. He'd looked the exact same way when he'd come home from Afghanistan.

And Loki's eyes... fuck, his _eyes_.

Blue.

'Do you know him, Tony?' Pepper then asked.

'No,' Tony said. Too quickly, _much_ too quickly, but why would he lie? Pepper and Coulson couldn't, nobody... nobody could _know_. 'Never seen him before,' he lied thickly. 'Just, uh... thinking about how to get Fury's shiny blue box back.'

Pepper stared at him. Coulson did, too.

But finally, they both nodded.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'Tell me about the Avengers Initiative,' Loki said after Barton had rattled off all he knew about SHIELD. Loki found the entire organisation amusing. Yes, they were probably a problem for human villains, but Loki was a _god_.

'The Avengers Initiative was created by Director Fury,' Barton explained dutifully. 'Or, it would have been created it Fury were given permission to do it from the World Security Council.'

Loki nodded but didn't interrupt.

'The Avengers Initiative is an operation that, if allowed to go ahead, would include people who can be called together to fight any danger that presents itself to America or Earth. I only know of a handful of people that were approached, or that know, of it,' Barton said.

'Who?' Loki asked.

'Fury approached me about it,' Barton explained, 'because of my archery. Agent Natasha Romanov was also approached because of the high success of her missions. Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, would have been brought into the Initiative if we were able to locate him.'

'Who's Steve Rogers?' Loki interrupted. He turned from where he was watching Selvig fiddle with the equipment needed to use the Tesseract and create a wormhole. Barton was sitting on a box to Loki's side, his Tesseract-blue eyes staring straight ahead.

'Steve Rogers was a soldier born in 1918 and the only successful test subject of the Super Soldier Serum,' Barton told him. 'The Serum made him the ultimate human; strong, fast, and with amazing healing factors. He disappeared in 1944 and Fury's been looking for him, hoping that he's still alive.'

'Hmm,' Loki hummed. He tapped his sceptre against the floor. Rogers, if he were alive, might prove to be a bit of a problem if he was stronger and quicker than any of the mortals Loki had so far come into contact with. 'Continue,' he finally murmured. 'Tell me, in detail, about everybody involved in the Avengers Initiative.'

'Natasha Romanov, also known as Natasha Romanova, Natasha Romanoff, and Black Widow, is an agent and assassin for SHIELD. She was born in Russia and joined SHIELD when I let her live.'

Loki quirked an eyebrow at that. _Hmm_ , _sentiment_. He could, perhaps, use that to his advantage.

'Black Widow is an expert in martial arts and interrogation, highly intelligent, and an accomplished killer.'

Loki waved a hand. He couldn't care less about some silly little girl unless he could bend her to his will. 'Next.'

'Doctor Bruce Banner was considered for the project,' Barton said, 'however, his inability to control his dangerous side will probably stop him from being asked.'

'Explain,' was all Loki said.

'Banner has a doctorate in nuclear physics and an understanding in even more sciences,' Barton said. 'A few years ago he was involved in an accident that exposed him to a lethal amount of gamma radiation and mutated him. Now, when he gets angry or scared, he turns into a large beast with amazing destructive capabilities. He's destroyed more than one military party that was sent to get him, as well as whatever was around him at the time. Currently he's being watched by SHIELD but not approached.'

Barton paused to take a breath before continuing.

'Anthony Stark-' he began, but Loki whipped around and hissed;

' _What_?!'

Barton, of course, just continued to stare vaguely ahead. 'Anthony Stark, aka Iron Man, was approached about the Avengers Initiative,' Barton said. 'However, Romanov spent a few weeks watching him and working with him, and declared that he was too dangerous to be involved.'

Loki wet his lips and turned away. His fingers tightened around the sceptre and he closed his eyes against the bright lights and the humans working around him. Of course. Of _course_. He couldn't get away, no matter what he did. Even starting a war on Midgard would draw Anthony's attention.

Having not told Barton to shut up, the archer continued to talk about Tony. 'Though he's a genius with connections and a weaponised suit, it was decided that he was too chaotic to join the Avengers,' Barton explained. 'He is suspected to have some type of mental illness and not be quite sane, and he's also a narcissist and doesn't play well with others. Stark isn't fit to join an operation that would involve working well within a team.'

Loki just nodded, eyes still closed, his lips pressed into a thin line. 'Who else?' he asked, voice soft.

'That's it,' Barton said. 'Apart from a few SHIELD agents who were contacted to interact with the super heroes, as well as Selvig himself, those are the only people that I know of.'

Loki nodded again and took a deep breath. 'Who could cause me the most problems?' he asked.

Barton hesitated, clearly thinking it over, before saying, 'Romanov and Stark. Romanov because she will stop at nothing to get me back onto SHIELD's side, and Stark because he has the ability to worm his way out of tight situations, as well as the fire-power to cause a lot of damage. Banner is too much of a loose canon; SHIELD can't control him. And, as far as I know, Rogers is still MIA.'

_'I always have the last laugh,' Tony said with a cheeky grin. 'My enemies can do whatever they want to me, but I'll_ always _come back, and they'll be the ones going down in flames.'_

Loki wondered if Director Fury had contacted Anthony, now that a true threat- Loki himself- had appeared. The mortals would need all the help they could get to take Loki down. Not that they would... well, they would _think_ that they were taking Loki down, but Loki would still win, in the end.

He kept those thoughts tightly locked away, barely even thinking about them. The last thing he needed was the Other or Thanos discovering what he was up to.

He also pushed thoughts of Tony Stark deep, _deep_ down. If he and Stark crossed paths, so be it. Loki would strike him down like all the other pitiful mortals who dared to stand up to him.

A sharp stabbing pain penetrated Loki's skull, and he gasped and stumbled to the side, clutching at his hair with one hand. Thanos' mind swept over his own, delving only deep enough to find out how Loki's invasion was going. He snarled when he saw that it wasn't as far along as it should be and heat, _pain_ , radiated through Loki's already weak body.

When Thanos finally pulled back, Loki was gasping for breath, and had broke out in a cold sweat.

'Loki?' Barton questioned.

Loki snarled and turned. He grabbed Barton by the jacket and pulled him in, the sceptre easily connecting him to Barton's mind. He ripped through the human, flicking through memories and feelings, storing valuable information and tossing the rest aside. When he was done he tossed Barton aside, the human in no better state than he was.

'Barton, prepare for the attack,' Loki ordered. Barton stood from where he was hunched over, at attention despite his obvious pain. 'It's time I made a visit to Germany.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note:** Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos, they're greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy the chapter :)
> 
> {Dreamer}

“ _Take any moment, any time_

_A lover on the left_

_A sinner on the right”_

  
  


_**[Then]** _

  
  


Loki Odinson had left Tony with nothing but a slip of paper with a number, and a _lot_ of bruises and scratches. Which was fine, because Tony had painted Loki, too. They'd fucked about four or five times over the course of the night; each coupling had kind of blurred into each other, with brief periods of rest in-between, so Tony couldn't remember exactly. He'd never met someone who could keep up with him, and Loki had been the one to huff in annoyance when Tony begged to be allowed to sleep.

That had been almost a month ago, and Tony was heading back to New York for some more meetings and galas and whatever the hell else Pepper had organised. Loki's weapons- three boxes of machine guns, one of RPGs- were waiting at one of Stark Industries' warehouse in New York, so Tony figured that he'd call the man when his private jet touched down and he was comfortable in his hotel room with a bottle of whiskey.

Pepper huffed and snapped at him when it was clear that Tony wasn't paying attention, but left when he said he had a meeting. He'd even written it into his schedule, so Pepper knew that he wasn't lying. He _did_ have to meet Loki about a weapons deal, so he wasn't even technically lying.

Tony poured himself a drink and tapped Loki's number into his StarkPhone. Loki answered on the fourth ring.

' _Mr Stark._ '

Tony felt his heart skip a beat- fucking stupid thing- at the sound of Loki's voice. 'Hey, Lokes,' he said, and smirked when Loki made a huff of annoyance. 'So, I'm back in New York.'

' _And you believed that I would care about that, because...?_ ' Loki questioned.

''Cause I have your weapons, ready to either be picked up or delivered to a location of your choice.'

Loki hummed softly. ' _Now_ that _I am interested in, Anthony._ '

'I thought you might be,' Tony said, sipping his drink. He rolled the liquid over his tongue before swallowing. 'So, would you like them delivered, or picked up?'

' _I believe I'll pick them up, Anthony,_ ' Loki replied. ' _I_ do _hope you'll be taking me there yourself_ ,' he added. ' _We have so much to catch up on._ '

Tony's dick twitched in his jeans, and he nodded even though he was on the phone. 'Yeah,' he breathed, and he just knew that Loki could hear how turned on he was. 'Why don't you swing by my hotel and we'll drive over?'

' _As you wish, Anthony,_ ' the Englishman purred. Tony's jeans grew even tighter.

After giving Loki the hotel's name and his room number, Tony hung up and palmed his erection, stifling a groan. Loki would be over in an hour, giving Tony time to shower, take the edge off, and change into a suit. He wanted there to be layers; he wanted Loki to have to strip him of every article of clothing.

Tony downed his drink and stood, wandering into the bathroom.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki was wearing tight black jeans, an emerald green shirt that matched his eyes (and hugged him like a second skin), as well as biker boots and a leather jacket. His belt was chunky and clinked every time he shifted, and Tony had to bite his lip to stop groaning. Fuck, he was imagining what those jeans, that belt, would feel like slamming against his ass as Loki fucked him. Judging by the sinful little grin Loki had on his face, the younger man was picturing the same thing.

This was the first time that Tony had returned to a one-night stand. In Tony's defence, he'd probably never see Loki again after this deal, not unless Loki wanted more weapons. And Loki was fucking fantastic in bed, so why _shouldn't_ Tony fuck him again? There was nothing wrong with that.

They easily got through the security wrapped around the warehouse when Tony flashed the men at the gate a smile and his ID. Loki seemed to find all the security guards and cameras highly amusing, but Tony didn't know why. His security was the best in the fucking world.

Loki followed Tony closely as the billionaire led him through the warehouse. Weapons and other equipment were kept in large boxes stacked upon shelves which lined the entire place. There was a large open space that Tony used for deals just like this, as well as a demonstration area to the far right.

Loki's hand brushed over Tony's ass more than once and Tony swallowed thickly as he finally reached the three boxes that had been left out in the open. _Make it through the deal, and_ then _fuck him_ , Tony told himself sternly.

'Twenty S&F7 light machine guns, as ordered,' Tony announced as he patted the closest box. He lifted the lid to show Loki the guns inside, rattling off facts about the weapon as he demonstrated that they were in perfect working order by easily assembling one. 'Similar in model to the German MG4,' Tony explained, 'only much, _much_ better.'

'Because you designed them?' Loki asked, one eyebrow arched in amusement.

Tony winked at him. 'But of course.'

After putting the weapon together- which wasn't difficult, guns were really easy to operate these days- Tony wandered over to the demonstration area, Loki following.

'Very, very easy to use,' Tony said, 'and each one comes with a folding bipod and cleaning kit.' He set up the tripod he was carrying on a large block of wood, and easily set the gun in place. He tossed Loki a pair of earmuffs, as well as safety goggles, and then slipped his own on. Once he'd toggled the safety off and fed the disintegrating belt into the gun, Tony shouted, 'Fire in the hole!' just for the fuck of it, and pulled the trigger.

The warehouse was filled with the deafening sound of machine gun fire as bullets slammed into the targets set up opposite. Tony used up the entire belt, and grinned widely when all was silent. He stood and rolled his neck and shoulders before pulling the goggles and earmuffs off. He turned to find Loki doing the same.

'So what do you think?' he asked.

'You people make such strange, fascinating things,' Loki mused.

Tony raised an eyebrow. 'Is that good or bad?' he questioned.

Loki continued to stare at the wall Tony had filled with bullets for a few seconds before his eyes drifted to Tony. They were black, and fuck, Tony wanted to throw the deal right out the fucking window and bend over for Loki right there.

'Very good,' Loki said, and then smirked, as though he could read Tony's thoughts.

Tony scowled. 'Shut the hell up, asshole.'

Loki chuckled.

'Let me show you your RPGs,' Tony muttered, packing the S&F7 back up and leading Loki back to the boxes. ' _Then_ we can discuss that look on your face,' Tony added.

'I look forward to it,' Loki whispered in his ear, and _shit_ , where the hell had he come from? Fucking stealthy British bastard.

Tony replaced the S&F7, re-sealed the box, and then went to the RPGs. Loki peered over curiously as Tony opened up the box. 'I can't give you a demonstration of these here,' he said as he gestured at them, 'but let me know if you want one and I'll organise something.'

'Hmm, no, I'm quite alright,' Loki said. 'After all, if they fail to work, I can come back and... _punish you_.'

Tony shivered slightly and licked his lips. 'Well,' he said, 'let's hope that they work.' _Let's fucking hope that you need more guns,_ he thought.

'Mm,' Loki just hummed.

'Anyway,' Tony said, 'the RPG-44, otherwise known as the _Picasso_ , is a multi-purpose grenade launcher consisting of a short, reusable launcher tube with grips, firing controls and sight mount, detachable collimating sight, and disposable ammunition containers. It can be used to engage and destroy battlefield targets from modern main battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers, to bunkers, military equipment, and troops in defilade or in the open.'

'Why _Picasso_?' Loki asked.

'Have you seen some of the paintings by Pablo Picasso?' Tony questioned. 'That shit looks like it was blown up. Which is _just_ what these babies do.'

Loki snorted and shook his head. 'Only _you_ would name a grenade launcher after a famous 20th century artist.'

Tony just winked before changing the subject. 'So, if I may ask, just what the fuck is a businessman going to do with a dozen RPGs?'

'Is it Stark Industries protocol to question the customer?' Loki asked, his face giving nothing away.

'Nope,' Tony grinned, making the P pop. 'Just thought I'd ask. So, does the equipment meet your satisfaction?'

Loki ran one last critical eye over all three boxes before nodding in satisfaction. 'Yes, I believe this is fine.'

'Excellent,' Tony said. He pulled a card from his pocket and passed it to Loki. 'Just transfer the payment into that account, and then you can take your weapons.'

Loki pulled a slim cell phone from his pocket- _not_ a StarkPhone, Tony noted in irritation- and turned away to have a brief conversation. In no time at all he'd hung up, and Tony's phone chimed, JARVIS informing him that the payment had gone through.

The tension that had been hanging thick in the air since Loki had arrived in Tony's hotel room was suddenly all-consuming, and Tony and Loki locked eyes at the same time. In two long strides Loki had Tony backed up against one of the S&F7 boxes, his mouth closed over Tony's, and Tony groaned. He arched into Loki's body and wrapped one arm around his neck, one around his waist.

Loki's hands were pressed against the box either side of Tony's body, and he licked into Tony's mouth before nipping at his lips, then across his jaw, to his ear, where he bit down _hard_.

Tony hissed. 'Fuck, Loki, I'm not in the mood for teasing.'

'Then turn around,' Loki whispered into Tony's ear. The genius wasted no time in doing as asked, and moaned when Loki's deft fingers got his belt open, his fly down. His trousers and boxers pooled around his feet, and cold air caressed Tony's ass and cock. 'I'm going to fuck you _so_ hard,' Loki mumbled into his ear, 'that your arse will be aching for _weeks_.'

'Don't talk about it; fucking do it!' Tony ordered.

Loki's fingers suddenly dug into Tony's cheeks, spreading them wide as he thrust his denim-clad crotch against Tony. Tony grunted and jolted forward before finding his feet again. The clink of Loki's belt opening cut through Tony's lust-soaked brain, and he felt like he'd vibrate out of his skin if Loki didn't get on with it.

'Wait!' Tony suddenly gasped.

Loki growled in frustration.

'Wanna be naked,' Tony said.

There was a pause, before; 'Is that so?'

'Yeah,' Tony said, refusing to feel embarrassed. He'd done so much kinky shit that it was really, _really_ hard for him to feel even slightly embarrassed during any sexual act.

'If you wish,' Loki said. He spun Tony around and pushed his jacket off. Tony hindered more than helped, and Loki slapped his hands away. Alone, Loki got Tony's shirt off, and Tony kicked his shoes, trousers and boxers clear, his socks going off last. When he went to remove his tie, Loki grabbed his wrist tightly and _squeezed_. 'I don't think so, my dear,' Loki smirked.

'Fuck,' Tony hissed and spun back around, steadying himself on both feet. The concrete floor was cold, but Tony really couldn't give a fuck.

He didn't even hear the pop of a lube bottle. Suddenly two wet fingers forced their way into his ass, and he hissed before moaning, thrusting forward then back, forward once more when Loki slid all the way into his second knuckles.

'Loki!' Tony growled.

'You're pushier on the bottom than you are on the top,' Loki commented. He pressed against Tony's prostate, forcing a whine out of Tony's throat before the genius could stop it. 'Has anyone ever told you that?'

'Nobody's ever... ever- _fuck_... uh... mentioned it, no,' Tony managed to grunt.

Loki was smirking, Tony just knew it, but he forgave the other man when a third finger joined the other two, quickly yet safely stretching him open. Loki was thin but long, and Tony knew from experience that if Loki fucked him hard enough, he'd be feeling it for a couple of days. _Especially_ if Loki stuck around for a few repeat performances.

Finally- _fucking finally_ \- Loki withdrew his fingers. And he must have said that aloud, because Loki chuckled darkly into his ear as he rubbed the head of his prick up and down Tony's crack.

'I swear to God I will fucking _shoot you_ if you don't fuck me!' Tony snarled.

Loki slid in suddenly, balls pressed against Tony's ass in seconds. Tony let out a long, breathy whine, and Loki nibbled on his ear as he paused, giving Tony time to adjust. When Tony started pushing back, Loki drew out.

He went slowly, like Tony knew he would. For some reason Loki was always careful before giving Tony a rough fuck. Tony wondered if it was because Loki was deceptively strong, or if it was because he needed a minute or two to keep himself from coming. But Loki had better control than any guy Tony had ever slept with, so Tony was more inclined to believe the former.

' _Ooh_ , fuck, Loki,' Tony groaned, head tipped forward as Loki's thrusts sped up.

Loki's belt, just like Tony had fantasised about, slapped against Tony's naked ass, adding a little sting every time Loki quickly snapped his hips. Loki's right hand gripped Tony's hip tightly, keeping the shorter man in place as Loki fucked into him. His other hand slowly crept up Tony's side, then his back, his nails digging in when he nailed Tony's prostate.

' _Shit_ ,' Tony grunted. His head hung forward, his eyes squeezed shut, and the wooden box bit into his palms and fingers as he held on for dear life. Loki's hips sped up and Tony's teeth dug hard into his bottom lip to keep the more whiny noises in his throat. 'Oh, fuck, Lokes... fuck, yeah, just there... _ahhh_...'

Of course, most escaped.

'You're so fucking tight,' Loki hissed into his ear. And, Jesus, Loki rarely swore unless he was fucking Tony or riding Tony's prick, and it _did_ things to Tony, things that had never happened before. It was like Loki had been created just to turn Tony on and send him fucking insane. And all of that in a neat, oh so pretty package.

' _Fuuuck..._ ' Tony groaned loud and long, his body bending further and further forward as he forced himself back onto Loki's dick. Loki scratched roughly down Tony's back before taking his hips in both hands. He rammed himself in, again and again, easily holding Tony in place, and Tony could do nothing but hold on tight and enjoy the fucking ride.

His cock bounced between them, stiff and leaking, hard and just _aching_ to be touched. But Tony didn't want to come, not this soon, not yet. Plus, it was kind of difficult to wrap a hand around his cock when he was holding himself up to stop from going face-first into a box of guns.

So Loki just fucked him, his cock hitting Tony's prostate for a few thrusts, then shifting aside, then coming back again. He muttered dark, filthy things into Tony's ear, things that made Tony whine and beg, buck and shiver beneath the taller man. Loki's fingers were painfully tight on his hips and Tony's skin ached with the newly-forming bruises.

Tony's skin prickled with sweat, and his mind shut down, only able to focus on the sensations happening to his body; the rough bite of wood under his palms, the nails digging into his flesh, the long cock filling him up over and over again, and Loki; Loki's breath in his ear, his teeth biting into Tony's shoulder, his tongue lapping sweat from Tony's neck, his lips running along the silk tie still hanging from Tony's neck.

Tony wasn't even aware of chanting Loki's name amongst the “fucks” and “shits” and “Holy fucking hell, fuck me _right_ theres”. Loki chuckled and panted behind him, and suddenly, after what felt like a fucking hell of a long time drowning in bliss, one of Loki's hands left his hip and somehow snaked around Tony's body. He grasped Tony's cock and it was over before he could stroke; Tony came long, loud, and it fucking _wrecked_ him.

He moaned Loki's name, stretching it into a dozen fucking syllables as he painted the box of weapons in come. He felt Loki fuck him through it, and then a bit longer, before finally the other man hissed, ' _Tony_ ,' and plastered himself against the billionaire's back, coming hot and wet in Tony's body.

Loki stayed pressed against him for a good minute before he stepped back, his dick popping out of Tony's ass and leaving come behind.

With nobody to hold him up, Tony slid to the floor, not caring about the cold concrete, or the come running down his thighs and making his skin slick. He couldn't feel it in his ass, so he kind of liked feeling it over his thighs. He slumped against the box and then Loki when the taller man joined him on the floor, his cock still hanging against his jeans, spreading come along the black denim.

They were silent as they caught their breath, and Tony chuckled.

'What is so amusing?' Loki questioned.

'Never fucked in one of my warehouses,' Tony admitted. 'I've always wanted to.'

'And did the experience live up to your fantasies?' Loki asked.

Tony grinned and turned to bite at Loki's jaw, enjoying the moan that Loki gave him. 'Oh, yeah,' he growled.

'Perhaps we can have another round, when you can get it up again,' Loki suggested with a sly curl to his lips.

'Cheeky fucker,' Tony muttered.

'How long are you in New York?'

'How long are _you_ in New York?' Tony retorted childishly.

Loki smirked. 'However long I'm needed.'

Tony shivered at the thought of fucking Loki every night after whatever event Pepper had planned; and between meetings and brief periods of rest and whenever the hell he could sneak away.

'I'm here 'til Friday,' he said.

'Hmm,' Loki hummed and tipped his head, resting it on Tony's shoulder. Tony found that he kind of liked it, so wrapped an arm around Loki's waist. He pretended that the warmth that flared through him when Loki snuggled into his side was just left over lust, or fresh desire fighting to take over. 'I can be here until Friday,' Loki finally said.

Tony smiled. 'Awesome.'

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki was aware of Anthony staring at him, and raised an eyebrow. 'Can I help you?' he asked before popping another piece of chicken into his mouth. He chewed as he waited, and Anthony just continued to grin at him, a chuckle escaping his lips every few seconds. 'Please do speak, Anthony, before I lose my temper,' Loki ordered.

As usual, Anthony threw him a wink. Loki wasn't used to people smiling after he'd hissed at them. Anthony seemed to be the exception to a lot of things that Loki did.

'It's just funny,' Anthony shrugged.

'What is?' Loki inquired.

'Well... look at you, look at _us_ ,' Tony said. He spread his arms, gesturing to the restaurant they were sitting in. Loki had assumed that it was a fancy place, what with the servers wearing suits, and the behaviour of the patrons. 'We're in a five-star restaurant and you're eating with your fingers.'

Loki glanced down at his plate. He'd ordered some type of chicken dish and it had come with what Anthony said was rice, as well as salad. The sauce atop the chicken wasn't that bad, but Loki despised the rice, so had been picking the chicken out by hand.

'Is there a problem with that?' Loki asked.

Tony shook his head. 'Not a problem to me, Green Eyes. But, other people, you know...' he trailed off and glanced around, so Loki did, too. He had been aware of various people glancing their way, but had assumed it was because of Anthony himself, and perhaps because he was clearly on a date with a man.

'They're staring because I'm eating with my fingers?' Loki questioned. Tony nodded. 'I see,' Loki hummed. 'I don't care,' he finally stated and picked up another piece of chicken.

'Clearly,' Tony said in amusement.

'I don't see how my behaviour is affecting anyone else,' Loki continued. 'Why does it matter to them that I'm eating with my fingers?' In Asgard, almost everybody ate with their hands. Some dishes required forks, knives and spoons, of course, but the larger feasts involved entire hogs roasting on a spit, and people ripped off whatever chunk took their fancy.

'It's not,' Anthony said, 'but you know people; they like things a certain way.' He cut off a slice of his steak and slipped it into his mouth, dragging the fork from his mouth slowly and, Loki was sure, deliberately. He eyed the mortal, and Anthony just grinned at him as he chewed. 'You know, I pegged you as more of a fish type of person,' Tony commented suddenly.

'Fish?' Loki raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'

'Dunno,' Tony shrugged. 'Just thought it.'

'I enjoy fish,' Loki told him, 'but I also enjoy chicken, mutton, and a number of other foods.'

'What's your favourite?' Tony questioned.

'Why do you want to know?' Loki countered.

''Cause I just do,' Tony huffed.

Loki chuckled and sipped his wine. It was sweeter than any wine found on Asgard, and the aroma was pleasant. Asgard had nothing on Midgardian alcohols.

'My preferred meals contain a lot of fruit and salads,' Loki said. 'So I suppose chicken with any type of salad or fruit.'

'Huh,' Tony said, head tilted. 'Yeah, I can see that,' he finally nodded and swigged from his own glass.

'You're an odd man, Anthony Stark,' Loki said.

'I know,' Tony winked.

He was also intelligent, charming, and very, very interesting. Loki hadn't been this fascinated with any one person since he'd first met the Light Elves of Álfheimr. And even then, Loki's fascination had been with the race as a whole. He thought all mortals were beneath him; they were weak, stupid, and far from intelligent.

All except for Anthony. Anthony had a unique way of looking at the world, and Loki found himself mesmerised by all that the man said. Even when he was being purposely dense, Loki still found him intriguing.

Loki shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. Soon enough he and Tony would cease to cross paths, and the mortal would become nothing but a vague memory. Tony, too, would forget all about Loki Odinson as he threw himself back into his work and back into the bed of whatever beautiful person he happened upon.

Loki ignored the slight twinge of annoyance that spread through him at that thought. It was ridiculous; Loki didn't get infatuated, and he certainly didn't attach himself to any one person, least of all a _mortal_. He downed the rest of his wine and allowed Tony to pour him another when the man glanced his way.

It was best to just enjoy the time they had now, Loki decided. Soon enough, it would be over.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'God fucking damn it,' Tony muttered.

Loki looked up from where he was pulling apart his sandwich. Apparently Loki ate every meal with just his fingers. He'd already eaten all of the ham and salami from between the slices of lightly toasted bread, followed by the cheese, and was now ripping the bread into tiny pieces and popping them into his mouth. There was a plate of chilli cheese fries between them that only Tony was eating; Loki had wrinkled his nose.

Oh well, all the more for Tony.

Now, Loki lowered the piece of bread from his mouth and asked, 'What's wrong?'

'Paparazzi,' Tony said and gestured to the right with his head. They weren't trying to hide; there were four guys with cameras, and two women muttering things into their cell phones. They stared between Tony and Loki before whispering amongst themselves. No doubt the latest headline would be something along the lines of, “Tony Stark and male lover dine at New York café”.

'Is that a problem?' Loki asked silkily.

Tony snorted. 'No,' he shook his head. 'You'd just think that they'd have better things to do than follow me around all day. I mean, I get my fans wanting to know what I'm up to, maybe my favourite food or what I like doing, but staring at pictures of me having lunch with some guy? Where's the fun in that?'

'None of what you people enjoy doing makes sense to me,' Loki commented. 'Except riding dangerously fast through New York; _that_ I find entertaining.'

Tony grinned. Having Loki pressed up against his back, arms wrapped around his waist, as they zipped through New York traffic on Tony's new bike was _very_ entertaining.

Loki ran a long, slim finger down the helmet that Tony had bought for him, and his eyes lit up suddenly. Tony knew that look; Loki was thinking of something reckless.

'Lokes?'

'How about we give them something _really_ interesting to talk about?' Loki questioned.

Tony sipped his coffee. 'I dunno... would it be dangerous?'

Loki smirked, and Tony shivered as heat pooled in his gut. 'Maybe,' the green-eyed man hummed. 'Would you be at all adverse to me riding your bike?'

Tony blinked before saying, 'Lo', you can ride whatever the hell you want.'

Loki chuckled softly and slid his plate away. He picked up the helmet and said, 'Ready?'

Downing the rest of his coffee, Tony nodded and grabbed his own helmet. The reporters all jumped when Loki suddenly leapt to his feet and ran down the pavement, Tony hot on his heels. Which was pretty impressive, Tony thought, considering that Loki had a good head on him in height and _ridiculously_ long legs.

They didn't stay surprised for long, though, and soon chased after them, shouting, “Mr Stark, Mr Stark!” and a variety of questions that Tony didn't even bother to care about.

Tony's Honda CBR600RR was parked just around the corner. Tony and Loki had been driving around New York in one of Tony's many cars when Tony had spotted the motorcycle dealership. He'd suddenly felt the need to be on a bike and, despite the fact that he had a dozen sitting at home in Malibu, Tony had purchased this one.

He'd had it repainted; the orange and black just didn't work. Now it was red and gold, and Tony patted the leather seat fondly as he slid onto it behind Loki. Tony had no idea if Loki knew how to ride a bike, but trusted the man not to crash and kill them. Besides, what was life without a little danger?

Loki swiftly started the bike and, while it was still in neutral, pulled back on the throttle, making the engine roar. Tony snorted and shook his head; fucking show off probably just wanted to scare the crap out of everyone.

It worked; everybody within hearing distance jumped or looked their way as Loki pulled in the clutch lever. He put the bike into first gear and then pulled back on the throttle again. Only this time the bike pulled away from the kerb, Tony and Loki both tucking their feet up as Loki expertly handled the machine.

And, well, this was _Loki_ ; Tony might not know everything about the guy, but he knew that he was dangerous, and a bit of a drama queen; he liked causing a scene.

So of _course_ Loki turned sharply away from the road and rode the Honda up onto the pavement.

Tony let out a whoop of delight that was muffled by his helmet as Loki gunned it down the sidewalk. He easily weaved the bike through the screaming pedestrians, not flinching or freaking out or... doing anything that a normal person would be doing if driving down the _fucking pavement on a motorcycle._

Tony's face was stretched into a grin, and it didn't waver once, not even when Loki suddenly turned sharply, the bike threatening to tip right over and drag the two riders down with it. Loki somehow managed to keep the Honda on its wheels, and Tony breathed out heavily when he turned to see that Loki had almost run into a hotdog stand.

'Afternoon,' he called to the owner, who just gaped at him as Loki shot off once more. The bike bounced as it went down the gutter and over a crosswalk- there were terrified shouts and screaming breaks and honking horns- and then the engine roared as Loki took a sharp left, only just missing a group of teenagers wandering down the footpath.

The paparazzi were _long_ gone, but that didn't stop Loki. He made sharp turns and sudden stops, running over abandoned bags and almost crashing into a dozen different stands. The entire time Tony was grinning madly, even when he was almost thrown from the bike because he'd decided to wave to the locals while Loki once again sped dangerously across the road and up onto the opposite footpath.

Loki eventually ended their little ride by doing a doughnut in the middle of a crowded street, and if Tony hadn't been having the time of his life he'd have gotten up the Brit for fucking his new tyres. As it was, he just held on tighter and continued to laugh and snicker as Loki finally drove on the road like a normal person.

They drifted after that; Loki didn't seem to have a particular destination in mind, but Tony didn't care. There didn't seem to be anyone after them- seriously, what the fuck were the cops doing while Tony and Loki were joyriding and generally causing chaos? They rode around for about an hour before Loki headed back towards Tony's hotel.

There were reporters waiting.

'They don't waste any time,' Tony commented as he climbed off the Honda, Loki sliding from the seat after him. The valets were eyeing Tony- and the bike- in awe and fear, and Tony winked at them as he tossed one the keys and pulled off his helmet. 'Just park it somewhere,' he told them, 'I'll have it picked up, uh... soon.'

Loki elected not to remove his helmet, not that Tony blamed him. They strolled into the hotel together, Loki somehow managing to avoid being touched even once, leaving Tony to battle his way through the throng of people- was thirty a throng?- and ignore all of their questions.

He heard various words thrown at him- menace, a danger to society, no responsibility, blah, blah, _blaaah_. It wasn't anything that Pepper hadn't shouted at him before.

And _ooh_ , wasn't _she_ gonna be pissed when she heard about this? That was if she hadn't already.

She probably had.

Pepper knew everything.

Tony finally managed to battle his way into the lift, and he flipped off the paparazzi as he slid inside. The flash of over a dozen cameras made him see stars, and Tony chuckled.

'What, may I ask, is so amusing?' Loki questioned, removing his helmet. His hair was a mess; sticking up all over the place, and drenched in sweat.

He looked hot.

Like usual.

Fucking sexy Brits.

'You,' Tony chuckled. 'That entire... _lunch_ that turned into a fucking joyride through New York. It was hilarious, Lokes.'

Loki's lips twitched, and Tony knew that he was holding back a smile.

'Seriously,' Tony continued and nudged the taller man with his shoulder. 'I haven't had that much fun in... years.'

'You'd think that a man with your wealth could do whatever he fancied,' Loki commented.

'Yeah, you'd think,' the genius snorted. 'I can't do anything without half a dozen people standing close by to take my picture just in case I fuck up; as you learnt today.' Loki inclined his head. 'Not that I care,' Tony then shrugged. 'I do something stupid, and Stark Industries' stocks drop a bit. And then a week later I invent something new and shiny and they soar back up. Most businessmen and governments don't really give a fuck what I do in my private life, as long as I keep giving them weapons and tech.'

Loki nodded again, but didn't say anything as the lift doors slid open, bringing them to Tony's floor. Tony grinned at Loki and backed out of the elevator.

'What are you planning, Anthony?' Loki asked, looking suspicious.

'Well, nothing nearly as entertaining as riding a bike on the sidewalk,' Tony said, 'but I figured I'd take you inside, toss you onto the bed, and ride your cock until we both come.'

Loki was suddenly just _there_ , closing the gap between them in the blink of an eye. He slammed Tony against the door and stuck his tongue down Tony's throat. Tony moaned and dropped his helmet, and he heard Loki's hit the carpeted floor with a _thud_ as well.

Tony ignored both helmets as he threaded his fingers through Loki's damp hair and tugged. When they finally broke apart, Loki hissed, 'Open the door, Stark, or I'll fuck you against it.'

Tony blinked rapidly at him before grinning. 'Now _there's_ an idea.'

Loki laughed and muttered, 'And I thought _I_ was chaos,' before nibbling on Tony's ear.

'I'm the fucking embodiment of chaos, Lokes,' Tony replied breathlessly.

Loki just bit him in response.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


The latest headline read something along the lines of, “Tony Stark and male lover ride motorcycle on sidewalk, causing four injuries and mass panic”.

Loki grinned at Tony over the StarkPad, and Tony laughed before dragging him in for a kiss.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Pepper threw a fit. Which Tony had expected, because he, you know, _drove a motorcycle up and down the sidewalk._

Fun times.

'Well, _technically_ , Lo-uke did it,' Tony said, correcting himself at the last second when he remembered the alias Loki had given Pepper. 'Luke was driving, not me, so really it wasn't my fault.'

Pepper scowled at him, her face getting steadily redder, her fingers curled into fists. Tony wondered if this was it; the insane act that would finally make Pepper Potts snap and murder him in his sleep.

Or right here, in the kitchen of his hotel room.

Death by frying pan.

Loki was lounging in the living room, and Tony knew that the younger man could hear him and Pepper arguing. What Tony really, _really_ liked was that Loki obviously didn't care; he clearly didn't give two fucks about the fact that he'd broken about a dozen laws, injured four people, and freaked out dozens more. And he had just smirked when Pepper glared at him like he was something disgusting on the heels of her fancy shoes. Tony kind of found that ridiculously hot.

'Come on, Pep,' he whined when she just continued to glare at him. 'I already said I'd pay for the damages, didn't I?'

'That's not the point, Tony!' Pepper snapped.

'Then what _is_ the point?' Tony asked, exasperated. Pepper had walked in and interrupted happy naked time with Loki, and he _really_ wanted to get back to that.

'This isn't like you,' Pepper said, waving her hands about. Wow, she was _really_ pissed. 'You screw up and do all sorts of stupid things, but you never actually _hurt_ people.'

Tony scoffed. 'Oh, come on! A couple of bruises and a fractured wrist? How is that hurting anyone? They aren't even real injuries!'

Pepper stared at him, her mouth slightly gaping. ' _Tony_.'

' _Pepper_ ,' he retorted in the same tone.

'This isn't like you,' his assistant repeated. 'This Luke guy, he...' she sighed in frustration and lowered her voice, 'he's clearly a bad influence on you.'

Tony raised his eyebrows. 'What? Because he drove on the sidewalk? Plenty of people do that, Pep, and they don't get twenty minute lectures from their personal assistants.'

'Most of them are drunks who don't own a multi-billion dollar company!' Pepper snapped.

'Loki _doesn't_ own a multi-billion dollar company,' Tony felt the need to point out. And then he frowned. 'At least I don't think he does... he doesn't really talk about himself. For all I know he's really Bill Gates and just got some plastic surgery and changed his accent. Hey, do you think I could get some dirt on Microsoft from him?'

'Tony!'

'Okay, so he's not Bill Gates,' Tony began, but Pepper slammed her hands against the counter, so Tony went quite. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... that saying fit this scenario, right? Pepper had clearly been scorned, and her fury was currently raining down on Tony Stark. Loki should be in here for this; he was the one who'd been driving the fucking bike.

He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to the Honda before Pepper had it towed away. She had far too much power.

'You're not even listening, are you?' Pepper demanded.

Tony blinked back to himself, and realised Pepper must have said something after slapping the counter. 'Uh... what?'

Pepper sighed, and her whole body deflated. 'You know what, Tony?' she growled. 'I have too much work to do. Clearly you don't _care_ about what you did. So I'm just going to go back to work- you know, the thing you should be doing?- and you can go back to sleeping with Mr Crazy in there.'

'He's not crazy,' Tony said. 'Just a bit unhinged.'

If Pepper had lasers for eyes, Tony would be a puddle of goo. She drew herself to her full height- which wasn't that much shorter than Tony, fuck it- and then said a curt, 'Mr Stark,' before stomping from the kitchen.

Tony followed after her, and they found Loki still slouched on the sofa, his feet on the coffee table. He was shirtless, Tony having thrown the garment somewhere behind the TV, and his jeans were hanging dangerously low on his slim hips.

'I prefer Mr Insane, actually,' he quipped when he caught sight of Pepper. Pepper glared at him, and Loki smirked. 'It rolls off of the tongue better,' he added.

Pepper just shook her head, gave Tony one last disappointed/furious look, and then left.

'I like her,' Loki declared and sipped from the glass tumbler he was holding. Tony frowned. Where the hell had that come from?

'Why?' he asked as he made his way over to the younger man. 'She hates you.'

'No, no, no,' Loki drawled, 'she _loathes_ me. And I find it utterly delicious.'

'You're weird,' Tony decided and flopped onto the couch beside him.

'I thought I was unhinged?' Loki queried.

Tony snorted. 'Yeah, that too.' He sighed and leaned back. 'We probably shouldn't go out into public for a while.'

'Why?'

'Uh...' Tony turned to look at him, both eyebrows raised. ''Cause you kind of caused a bit of mass panic the last time I let you out?'

Loki blinked at him before smiling dangerous. 'You didn't _let me out_ , Stark. If I want to go out, I will. And if I want to cause panic while I'm out, then I will.'

Tony just chuckled until suddenly Loki was right in his face, eyes bright, tongue darting out to lick his lips. Tony gulped.

'Of course...' the taller man purred and ran one hand up Tony's thigh, 'you could always keep me... _entertained_.'

Tony leapt to his feet and grabbed Loki's hand, tugging him up.

'I'd prefer to stay here, Anthony,' Loki said and spun him around.

Tony groaned as Loki licked into his mouth and let himself be pushed back onto the sofa.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'I thought you said you were here until Friday,' Loki stated. He was sitting on the counter eating a package of strawberries. Tony had got a bit lost staring at him; the way Loki bit into the fruit, juice running down his fingers; then his tongue darting out to lap the liquid up. Loki was doing it on purpose, he just knew it.

Tony blinked when Loki nudged him with his foot. 'What?'

'I thought you said you were here until Friday,' Loki repeated. He raised an eyebrow. 'Was that a lie, Anthony?'

'What? No,' Tony snorted. 'I _am_ here until Friday. But Pepper called earlier when you were in the bath and said I have to go to some charity thing tonight.' He sighed and flopped over the counter, his nose brushing against Loki's thigh. 'I _hate_ charity functions.'

Loki hummed as he nibbled on a fresh strawberry. 'And why is that?'

'People follow me around, either wanting money or sex,' Tony said. 'I don't mind donating, but it gets annoying after the fiftieth person.'

'Why don't you just shoot them with one of your little guns?' Loki asked. 'Surely that will teach them to stay away.'

Tony snorted. 'Uh, Lokes, most people don't like it when you murder them.'

'They don't have to like it,' Loki shrugged and stuffed another strawberry into his mouth.

'It's kind of, you know, _illegal_ ,' Tony said. Loki just stared at him. 'Never mind,' the genius waved a hand. 'I'm not gonna kill anyone, alright?'

'So you're going to run along to this little function because Ms Potts demands it of you,' Loki said. 'And you're going to leave me, here, _alone_.'

'Yeah, that sounds about right,' Tony nodded.

Loki sighed. 'And what shall I do with myself while you're gone?'

'Uh... TV?' Tony suggested. Loki scowled at him. 'Internet? Cooking? Pleasure yourself while thinking of me?'

Loki snorted and slid from the counter. He gave Tony an unamused look, shoved the package of strawberries into the genius' hands, and stormed from the kitchen.

'Loki, come on!' Tony whined. 'It's not my fault!'

'You could say no,' Loki called over his shoulder.

'No I couldn't,' Tony said. 'Pepper's magic, she knows just what to say and do to get me to attend these things.'

Loki barked out a laugh at that. Tony found him lounging on the sofa, feet on the coffee table, arms crossed behind his head.

'I won't be gone that long,' Tony tried.

Loki scowled.

'Four, maybe five hours,' Tony continued. He dumped the strawberries on the table and sat beside them. He reached out to tickle Loki's feet, and the taller man almost kicked him in the head. 'That was an accident, right?' Tony asked, rubbing his forehead.

Loki continued to scowl.

'Come on,' Tony sighed. 'You can order room service- on me!'

Loki, of course, scowled.

'Um... order whatever you want?' Tony tried. 'And I'll pay for it, I promise.'

'Oh, you will _definitely_ pay for it,' Loki finally spoke, an evil glint in his bright eyes.

Tony gulped. 'Is that a, uh... good or bad thing?'

'I suppose you'll just have to wait and see,' Loki hummed. He slouched further back on the couch and held a hand out. 'Strawberries.'

'Yes, princess, can I get you anything else?' Tony muttered sarcastically. He handed them over anyway and watched as Loki dropped one into his mouth. 'I gotta go get changed.'

'Whatever,' Loki waved a dismissive hand at him. Tony stood and walked away, only to hear Loki call, 'It's not my fault if the hotel burns down in your absence!' after him. Tony groaned and rubbed his eyes.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'And just why would the hotel burn down?' Pepper questioned as she and Tony entered the ballroom.

'Luke didn't want to be left alone for the night,' Tony said. He quickly swiped a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and downed the lot. Pepper scowled at him but Tony ignored her.

'Why would one of your one-nighters care about being alone for the night?' Pepper asked. She slapped Tony's hands when he reached for another glass, and Tony pouted at her. 'That look doesn't work on me, Tony,' the red-head told him.

Tony sighed. 'Luke's not a one-nighter,' he told her. Pepper stopped, making Tony stop, too, and she raised her eyebrows at him. 'Luke's a business associate,' Tony stated.

' _Lucas_ is a danger to society, and to you!' Pepper said, immediately jumping into a tirade about how Tony was an idiot for letting the Brit hang around. Tony ignored her, of course; he was good at ignoring things that he didn't care about. He let Pepper's words wash over him as he searched the large room for the bar. Eventually he spotted it in the far corner and started walking. 'Tony!' Pepper snapped.

'Yeah, yeah; Luke's dangerous, he keeps getting me into trouble, he's a PR nightmare; blah, blah, blah!' Tony called over his shoulder. 'I don't care, Pep!'

Pepper followed after him, though at a slower pace, and was eventually stopped by some of the people already there. Tony easily slipped his way through the gathered crowd and reached the bar, letting out a noise of delight when the bartender looked at him. 'Bourbon,' he stated and slapped some bills onto the bar.

He grabbed his drink when the bartender slid it over and quickly escaped through the crowd. He could see Pepper looking for him but managed to make it outside unseen, the two large double-doors opening up onto a bright green lawn. The patio was done in sleek chocolate-brown wood, with a red awning blocking out the stars overhead. Tony wandered past the potted plants and trees, following the dark-tiled path across the grass.

There was a large fountain directly before him that branched off into two small rivers that led to a puddle each. Tony frowned at them, wondering just what the hell purpose they served. The fountain was pretty cool, Tony could admit, but the river-type things were bordered by high marble walls that just looked out of place.

'People are high when they make this shit,' he muttered to himself.

'Mr Stark?'

Tony turned at his name and smiled charmingly when he came face-to-face with a tall woman. She was wearing a blue dress that flowed down her curvy body and matched her eyes. Her shoes were flat, which Tony liked, and snaked up her calves, the straps stopping just below her knees. Her brunette hair fell in waves around her pale face and shoulders, and Tony's eyes dropped to her cleavage before flicking back up again.

'Well hi there,' Tony said, his smile widening.

'Sorry about bothering you,' the woman said, 'but I just had to say hi.'

'Honestly, I _really_ don't mind,' Tony said.

The woman raised an eyebrow before chuckling. 'I'm not interested, Mr Stark,' she said.

Tony pouted. 'Really?' When she nodded, Tony sipped his drink before asking, 'Can't change your mind? Maybe flirt a bit?'

'I'm gay, so no,' the woman said.

Tony sighed. 'Oh well.' Loki probably wouldn't like it if he hooked up with someone else, anyway. He really _would_ burn the hotel down. Tony liked that about him.

'We can always talk about artificial intelligence or bioengineering,' the woman suggested. Tony raised an eyebrow. 'I'm Doctor Maria Sakov,' the woman introduced herself.

Tony had probably heard of her, but he'd most likely forgotten.

'And when you get bored,' Dr Sakov continued, 'I can introduce you to my date for the night.'

Tony raised an eyebrow. 'Why would I want to meet your date?'

'Doctor Michael Gardner is as gay as I am,' Maria winked.

Tony snorted and held his arm out, smiling when Maria threaded hers through. 'Lead the way, Dr Sakov.'

Maria chuckled and pulled Tony back into the ballroom.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony flirted a bit with Dr Gardner, but he was much more interested in discussing science with him and Maria. They were nowhere near as smart as Tony, but they were intelligent in their own rights, and Tony had a science boner ten minutes after meeting the two. He really needed to find smarter friends.

He was just telling the two doctors about JARVIS when a flash of green caught his eye. Tony cut himself off and glanced over at the bar. He almost dropped his drink when he saw Loki. The man was wearing a black suit that hugged his tall, lean frame, with a pressed white shirt and a black tie. His hair, usually slicked back, had been swept from his forehead and sat in waves upon his head. It looked like it did after Tony had spent a good hour running his fingers through it.

_Fuck._

All of that, though, barely registered in Tony's mind. What he focused on was the young blonde guy currently stroking Loki's arm and smiling brightly at him.

Tony's eyes narrowed, and he almost dropped his drink when Buff & Blonde leaned over to whisper in Loki's ear. And Loki _grinned_. Fucker.

'Mr Stark?' Maria Sakov's voice reached Tony's ears.

Tony turned to glance at her through his blue-tinted glasses. 'What?'

'Are you okay?' Maria asked.

Tony nodded vaguely and looked back at Loki and the blonde. Oh _hell_ no! The guy had his hand on Loki's ass!

'Right, that does it, that's not okay,' Tony muttered. He downed his drink, shoved the glass at Maria or Michael, and stormed across the room.

Loki caught sight of him halfway there and gave Tony a slow, sinful smirk. He had one arm wrapped loosely around the young blonde guy's waist, but didn't seem to be encouraging all the touching too much. Tony growled when he reached them, and Blondie _finally_ pulled his face out of Loki's neck.

'M-Mr Stark!' the young man gasped in surprise before grinning widely. 'It's such a pleasure to meet you.'

Tony stared down at the offered hand before saying, 'Yeah, _no_.' He turned his attention to Loki. 'What the hell are you doing here?'

'You told me to keep myself busy whilst you were away for the evening,' Loki said. He cocked an eyebrow, smirk in place. 'I'm keeping myself busy.'

'How'd you even get an invite to this thing?' Tony demanded.

'I have my ways, Anthony,' was all Loki said.

Tony snorted and turned to order a drink, as well as another of whatever Loki was having. The young blonde man still hadn't moved, and tried to catch Tony's attention, but the genius only had eyes for Loki.

'Shouldn't you be running back to your friends?' Loki asked as he accepted the drink Tony passed him.

The billionaire frowned. 'Friends?' Loki nodded over Tony's shoulder, and Tony glanced back to see Maria and Dr Gardner chatting near the doors that led outside. 'Oh, them,' Tony grunted and sipped his scotch. 'Yeah, they were kind of fun to talk to, but _you're_ here now, so...' he trailed off and raised his eyebrows.

'So?' Loki echoed.

'Well, you'll be my date, won't you?' Tony asked. Loki snorted. 'Come _on_ ,' Tony whined. 'Think of what we could get up to.' He wiggled his eyebrows, and Loki hummed, looking intrigued.

'Very well,' the green-eyed man said and sipped his wine. 'Why don't you... show me a good time, then,' he challenged.

Tony grinned and slid his tumbler across the bar, then took Loki's glass and did the same. 'Come on, Green Eyes,' he said and grabbed Loki's arm. He pulled the taller man past Blondie McBuff, and frowned when his eyes met the younger man's. 'Why are you still here?'

The blonde gaped, his mouth hanging open. 'I, uh... I was-'

'Never mind,' Tony interrupted, raising his free hand. 'I don't care.'

And with that, Tony dragged Loki through the gathered crowd, smiling when Loki chuckled behind him. He veered off course suddenly, pulling Loki towards a set of doors rather than to the outside patio. Loki didn't stop him, just followed along, and then laughed loudly when Tony pushed his way into the bathrooms.

'Really, Stark?' he asked in amusement.

'Shut up!' Tony snapped and spun. He slammed Loki against the closed door and glared up at him. 'What the hell was that?'

'What was what?'

'Don't play dumb, Loki!' Tony growled. 'You were flirting with that guy!'

'So?' Loki raised an eyebrow. 'I was unaware that our relationship was monogamous.'

'What?' the genius spluttered. He quickly shook his head. 'No, no, _no_. We're not... this isn't... it's not a _relationship_!'

Loki smirked. 'That's what _I_ thought. And yet you're acting like I cheated on you.'

'No!' Tony huffed. 'It's not that, Loki. It's just-'

'Just what?' the Brit pressed.

'You _knew_ that I was here,' Tony scowled, 'you knew it, you saw me, and you _still_ flirted with that guy! I'd have thought that when we were at least in the same room we'd cut the flirting back with other people.'

'Ah,' Loki hummed. He hooked his arms around Tony's neck and drew the older man in. 'I see. I apologise, Anthony, I wasn't aware that you'd grow jealous.'

'I'm not jealous!' Tony denied, but his voice was muffled by Loki's neck. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the spicy scent of whatever Loki was wearing. His lips and tongue were soon trailing softly up and down Loki's skin, and the taller man shivered, tilted his neck to give Tony more access.

He gasped when Tony bit into the soft flesh, his tongue only briefly soothing the area before moving on. When he was done Loki had three bruises along the left-side of his neck, and another beginning to form.

'You're quite proud of yourself, aren't you?' Loki was breathing heavily, but then again, so was Tony, and both men were hard where they pressed against each other.

'You know, I didn't come out tonight prepared, 'cause I thought I'd be getting lucky with you later,' Tony said, completely ignoring Loki's question. He licked and sucked at one of the bruises as he waited for Loki to answer.

'Y-You're point?' Loki gasped, and then hissed when Tony bit again. He ran one hand up the back of Tony's neck and through his hair, twisting the strands around his fingers to tug Tony closer.

'My _point_ ,' Tony growled against the taller man's skin, 'is _do you have lube_?'

' _Oh_ ,' Loki breathed, 'yes; back pocket.'

Tony's fingers deftly slipped into Loki's trousers, and came out with a satchel of lube. Tony grinned and patted Loki's hip with his free hand. 'Get into a stall.'

'Yes, sir,' Loki muttered, but there was a glint in his green eyes, and they were dark with desire. Tony grinned in return and followed Loki into one of the stalls, only ripping his eyes away from Loki's ass long enough to lock the door.

When he turned back around Loki was unbuckling his belt, and Tony groaned when Loki slid his pants and boxer-briefs down. Loki had a perfect ass, really he did, and Tony grabbed a cheek in each hand. He kneaded them together before pulling them apart, and almost fainted when he saw Loki's glistening, _stretched_ hole, winking at him.

'I may or may not have planned this,' Loki commented. He was bent over the toilet, his hands resting on the back, and wiggled his hips as best he could. 'So if you could get on with fucking me, Mr Stark, I would be _ever_ so grateful.'

'Cheeky bastard,' Tony growled. His mouth watered with just the thought of bending down and licking Loki open, but lube didn't taste that great- even the flavoured stuff was pretty disgusting, Tony thought- and he was _achingly_ hard from just a few kisses. So instead he pulled back and dropped his own pants and pulled his cock through the slit in his boxers. 'Hold still,' he ordered before using his teeth to rip the lube open. He poured the lot onto his cock, hissing as the cool liquid touched over-heated flesh, but rubbed it all over just the same.

Loki had remained still the entire time, but groaned and shook when Tony finally pressed the head of his cock against his opening. Tony thrust a few times and slid his entire length in easily, his balls soon resting against Loki's cheeks. He bent over the taller man and let out a shaky breath, his lips brushing Loki's jacket.

' _Anthony_ ,' Loki growled and pushed back.

'Oh, want it rough, do ya?' Tony grinned.

' _Please_ ,' Loki muttered, but Tony could hear the eye roll.

'Alrighty then,' Tony said and slowly pulled out. When just the head of his cock remained inside, he slammed back in, and Loki hissed through gritted teeth. Oh, well that just wouldn't do; Loki should be shouting, _begging_ , so Tony pulled out and thrust back in, hard, _harder_ , until Loki was gasping and panting.

'T-Tony,' he groaned as he pushed back against every one of Tony's thrusts. His grip on the toilet kept sliding and he scrambled and clutched to the porcelain as hard as he could. 'By the Norns, _please_!'

Tony was sweating, and his dress shirt and jacket both clung to him, his belt clinking around his ankles. He dug his fingers hard into Loki's pale hips, his nails leaving little red marks that would soon be bruises.

Loki cursed yet again as Tony filled him, stretched him, the beautiful ache and burst of pleasure every time Tony hit his prostate better than anything he'd felt before. Loki's hair fell out of place and Tony couldn't help it; he reached out with one hand to run his fingers through the wavy locks, and then twisted them, pulling Loki's head up.

Loki gasped, eyes wide, and Tony growled, 'I want you to come.'

'T-Tony,' Loki groaned. No, they hadn't been going long enough; Loki wanted _more_. More cock and more of Tony's groans and more touching and-

' _Now_!' Tony snapped.

The order went straight to Loki's cock, which then let his release spill all over the toilet. Some even dripped onto Loki's pants, but he decided to magic that away when he could see straight.

Tony groaned as Loki's muscles clenched around him, and about a minute later he was coming himself, emptying into Loki and filling him up. Tony heaved in breath after breath as he slouched over Loki's back, both men shuddering through the aftershocks together.

'Well,' Tony finally muttered as he pulled back and out of Loki, both men hissing slightly as they disconnected. 'As you know, I usually like lasting longer then that, but a quick, hard fuck is always fun, am I right?'

Loki chuckled and stood up. He reached for the toilet paper to clean himself up, and even turned to help Tony. 'Do you hear me complaining?'

Tony grinned and leaned up to peck Loki on the lips. 'I knew there was a reason I kept you around.'

'I'm sure my charming personality and ability to fuck you stupid has something to do with it.'

Tony shivered, imagining Loki doing just that. 'Later, Lokes,' he said. 'I need a few drinks, though.'

Sighing, Loki said, ' _Fine_ ,' and the two cleaned themselves up, dressed, and headed out.

There was a guy using a urinal, and he kept his eyes mostly to himself but glanced at Tony and Loki in the mirror. Loki grinned and Tony waved, and they did it all over again when they left the bathroom to find most eyes turning their way.

' _So_ your fault, Lo',' Tony chuckled.

'No, I believe that they heard _you_ ,' Loki retorted. 'You're quite the screamer.'

'Am not.'

'Are too.'

Tony pointed at him. 'You, me, a nice hard fuck in the hotel room, and we'll see what neighbour complains first.'

Loki tilted his head as he thought, before asking, 'You bottom first, then me, then you again?'

'Yup,' Tony nodded.

'Deal,' Loki grinned. He wrapped an arm around Tony's waist and tugged him towards the bar.

Both of them ignored Pepper, who was fuming in the corner. Tony kind of wanted to wave at her, but he _liked_ his limbs being attached to his body, thank you very much.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'Hmm, a fountain,' Loki commented as he stared at the thing, his eyes critical.

'Yeah, it's probably the only nice thing about this place,' Tony said. He gestured at the little river... things. 'I mean, what purpose do _those_ serve?'

'I have no idea, Anthony,' Loki shrugged. 'And I don't suppose that the... _architects_ , had any idea, either.'

Tony snorted and sipped his scotch, while Loki continued to stare at the fountain.

'I kinda wanna swim in it,' Tony admitted after about a minute of silence. Loki looked at him. 'I mean, don't you see one and just wanna... swim?' Tony continued. 'I once jumped in a fountain outside a library- well, I _think_ it was a fountain. It was kind of, like, a water feature that circled the courtyard, and I just took my shoes off and jumped in.'

Loki hummed as he glanced at Tony, then the fountain. 'Well,' he finally said, 'why don't you?'

'Why don't I what?' Tony mumbled as he took another swig of his scotch.

'Go for a swim?' Loki said. He gestured at the fountain, which was big enough to fit at least ten people. 'If you want to, then do so.'

'Loki,' Tony chuckled, 'first of all, Pepper would have my head.'

'I very much doubt that,' Loki commented.

' _Secondly_ ,' Tony continued, grinning when Loki poked his tongue out, 'the _media_ would have a field day. And we've already caused them enough headaches.'

'So?' Loki raised an eyebrow.

Tony blinked at him, opened his mouth, and then snapped it shut when no words came out. 'Huh,' he finally muttered. 'Didn't think of it that way.' Loki smirked. 'Alrighty then,' Tony said. He placed his glass on the ground and kicked his shoes off, but left his socks- and everything else- on. Uncaring about the people surrounding him, or the expensive StarkPhone in his pocket, Tony scrambled over the side of the fountain and splashed into the water.

_'Shit,_ that's cold!' Tony yelped as he stood back up. The water came to his knees, and Tony grinned as he sloshed through it. 'Pretty fun, though.' He spluttered and had to spit water when he was suddenly splashed, and after wiping his eyes he looked up to see that Loki had joined him. 'Well hello there, gorgeous,' the genius grinned.

Loki chuckled. His hair was wet- his face and body, too- and hair hung in thick heaps across his face. Loki swept it back easily and only a few strands escaped, sticking to Loki's pale skin.

'Come here,' Tony ordered, holding a hand out. Loki complied, but when their fingers touched Loki yanked Tony forward and under water. Tony came up laughing and spat more water out. 'You bastard! Who knows what's in this?'

'I don't care,' was Loki's reply.

Tony growled and pounced. He got his arms around Loki's neck, his legs around the taller man's waist, and Loki stumbled. His hands went to Tony's ass to keep him afloat, and Tony groaned when Loki's long fingers squeezed.

'No fair,' he muttered.

Loki leaned forward and repeated, 'I don't care,' against Tony's lips before kissing him.

Tony groaned again and crushed his mouth harder against Loki's. He tightened his grip around the younger man and clung to him. Loki didn't seem to mind; he just stood there in the middle of the fountain, his lips against Tony's, their bodies locked tight, ignorant of all the people staring.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'Okay, okay!' Tony laughed as he was pushed _again_. 'Calm the fuck down, we're leaving!'

'Remove your hand from my arm, or I will _rip it_ from its socket!' Loki snarled.

Tony rolled his eyes, but figured that it was a real threat. He stopped suddenly and the muscular guy directly behind him ran into the genius, making Tony stumble. 'Easy, boys!' Tony called. 'And stop touching my date!' Tony told the tall red-head with his hand barely an inch from Loki's arm. 'He _will_ rip your arm off, and I'll sue you for assault.'

'Mr Stark-' the head of security- at least that's who Tony assumed he was- tried, but Tony interrupted.

'Hey, we'd be gone by now if your boys stopped _touching us_!'

Loki growled- actually _growled_ \- at the man closest to him, and the look in his eyes must have been dangerous, because the man hastily backed away.

'Good,' Tony nodded as he surveyed them all. 'Good, that's better. Okay, onwards, men!'

There were people everywhere; mostly watching them, gossiping, and taking pictures of Tony and Loki. Tony didn't care; he hadn't cared before jumping into the fountain, and he hadn't cared when he was dragged from it. It was too much fun to give a fuck. He had to buy a fountain for the pool room... or the lobby of the Stark Industries Headquarters in New York... hang on, hadn't he and Pepper discussed a tower at some point?

A yelp of pain, and a few shouts, pulled Tony from his thoughts. He turned to see that Loki had finally made good on his threat; he had one of the guards in an arm hold, the man's arm twisted up behind his back. The guy's face was bright red, sweat already appearing, and was whimpering in pain.

Loki seemed ignorant of the security guards threatening to taser him and trying to pull him free. 'I _warned you_ , you filthy human!' Loki snarled.

'Hey, easy, Lo',' Tony quickly jumped into the fray. He laid a hand on Loki's shoulder, drawing the taller man's attention. 'Come on, Lo'. We'll go back to the hotel, order some food, and fuck like rabbits, alright? Just let the guy go.'

Loki held Tony's gaze for a few seconds before snorting in disgust and letting the security guard go. 'Do _not_ touch me again!' he warned before turning and storming off.

'Don't touch him again!' Tony echoed before chasing after Loki. 'Hey!' he called when he caught up. Loki didn't look at him. 'So, apart from the unwanted touching, would you say that tonight was a success?'

Loki raised an eyebrow and glanced down at his soaked clothing, and then looked at Tony's. His eyes lit up, and a smile stretched across his face as he drew his eyes up to look at Tony. 'Yes, it was _very_ successful.'

Tony grinned.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'“Tony Stark and lover thrown out of charity event by security, Pepper Potts refuses to comment”',' Tony read out-loud. 'Ah, damn it,' he muttered as he scrolled down to skim the article. 'I've gone and pissed off Pepper again.'

'And what did you expect?' Loki asked from the floor. He was lying with his legs up on the couch, his back on the floor, and had a bowl of strawberries on his stomach, a book in his right hand.

'Eh,' Tony shrugged and closed the browser. He pulled up one of the science articles he'd been reading earlier.

'That's not an answer, Anthony,' Loki complained and nudged Tony with one foot.

'Shut your face, Loki,' Tony retorted, ignoring him.

Loki chuckled and went back to his strawberries, while Tony grinned down at his StarkPad.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


On Friday, Tony's private plane was at the airport, set to take off at 3pm exactly. If Tony wasn't there Pepper would storm into the hotel room and drag him there herself.

He'd already packed and was sitting on the couch, watching as Loki finished dressing. They'd spent the past week eating, having sex, going out (with only a few dangerous shenanigans on Loki's part), having even more sex, and generally causing Pepper a massive amount of headaches.

Tony tried to ignore how his heart skipped a beat every time Loki brushed beside him, and then how his stomach clenched when Loki finally announced that he was leaving.

He wrapped an arm around the younger man's waist and pulled him into a kiss; a soft one, only slightly passionate. A goodbye.

'Hey, next time you're in New York or even Malibu...' Tony trailed off as he looked up at Loki.

The Brit nodded and pressed his lips to Tony's rough cheek. 'Until next time, Anthony.'

'Yeah,' Tony said, once again ignoring the sudden tightening in his chest. 'See ya around, Loki.'

The taller man nodded, and with one last quirk of his lips, he was gone, the hotel door shutting behind him.

Later that night in his bed in Malibu, Tony tried to tell himself that he couldn't sleep because he was sore and still slightly drunk (his private jet had a bar, of course). It wasn't because he'd grown used to Loki sleeping beside him. He didn't _miss_ the other man's warm, lean body.

That was just ridiculous.

And back in Asgard, after having fended off various questions from his mother, father and brother about where he'd been for the past few months, Loki laid completely still in his large bed, staring at the ceiling, telling himself that the chill of his chambers was just as comforting as it had always been.

It wasn't as though Loki liked the warmth, now. It wasn't like he felt more comfortable with somebody plastered to his back.

That was just absurd.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony had no idea how Loki got his weapons out. There was no sign of a truck or any other vehicle on the outdoor CCTV cameras leading up to Friday night. The ones inside the warehouse stopped working from 5:26 to 5:29pm Friday afternoon, and when they came back online the boxes were gone.

_Sneaky fucker_ , Tony thought with a chuckle as JARVIS replayed the footage.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note:** Aww, screw it; I'm posting all the chapters. Why make you wait when I've finished the story? Enjoy.
> 
> {Dreamer}

“ _Just lay in the atmosphere_

_A casual... affair..._

_(Hush-hush, don't you say a word)”_

  
  


_**[Now]** _

  
  


Tony was quickly shuffled into a car, then a quinjet, then dropped aboard the Helicarrier. He fucking hated SHIELD. They expected him to drop everything just because they were too fucking stupid to hang onto the Tesseract. It served them right, Loki stealing it. Tony could just imagine the look on Fury's face when Loki had suddenly appeared and whisked it away, killing two dozen agents in the process. He'd have to take a closer look at the security footage of Loki's appearance.

There was Captain America, who was a fucking asshole, Tony summarised. And Natasha, who Tony hadn't liked since she'd lied and wormed her way into his company. She was all broody and pouty because Loki of Asgard had taken off with her archer. Tony barely managed to contain his snicker. Fury was, as usual, a dick, and Coulson a quieter dick. Bruce was the only highlight of the whole trip, and he and Tony quickly set up shop in one of the lab's aboard the Helicarrier to start the hunt for the Tesseract, because SHIELD were useless and Tony was awesome.

'Amazing,' Bruce murmured.

Tony looked up from where he'd been doodling notes and stuffing blueberries into his mouth. Bruce was standing before one of the glass screens hanging from the ceiling, and Tony could see footage of Loki killing on the screen.

'What is?' Tony questioned and wandered over.

'Look how fast he is; how strong,' Bruce said. He blinked and offered Tony a small smile. 'It's unfortunate that all of those agents died, but still... it's just fascinating how _different_ the Asgardians are when they look exactly like us.'

Tony stood on the other side of the screen, eyes watching as Loki snapped a man's neck quickly and easily. That was a practised move; he'd done it before.

'It just makes me wonder what Loki could do, if we don't find him,' Bruce continued. 'The Other Guy, he...' the doctor swallowed thickly, his eyes dark. 'He can do a _lot_ of damage,' Bruce continued. 'But this Loki guy, he _looks_ like us. He could go anywhere, pretend to be anyone. Imagine what he could destroy?'

'And then he could slip away before we catch him,' Tony murmured. He remember how easily Loki had slipped through crowds; how he'd adapted to whatever situation he found himself in so that people didn't even _glance_ in his direction, despite his good looks. Loki was a chameleon, a trickster, so good at lying that even Tony hadn't realised that he was a fucking _alien_. But how could he? Before Thor, aliens were a theory, not a reality.

'Are you okay?' Bruce asked. Tony blinked and look through the screen at Bruce. The doctor looked concerned. 'I don't mean to pry,' the older man hastily added, 'but...'

'I'm fine,' Tony brushed the concern aside. 'I'm just hoping that we can find this Loki before he does any more damage.'

That, of course, was when an alarm sounded, and suddenly Fury's voice was blaring through the speakers.

' _Loki's been sighted in Stuttgart. Rogers and Romanov, on deck!_ '

Nothing was said about Tony and Bruce, which both men understood. Bruce was a liability, and Tony was... well, just as dangerous.

Of course, Tony hadn't gotten to where he was now by playing by the rules. He gave Bruce a wink, a cheeky smile, and tossed the man his blueberries before taking off to grab his portable suit.

As soon as he was out of sight his face fell. God fucking _damn it_. What was he supposed to do now? He'd known that Loki wasn't... wasn't _human_ , but a frickin' _Norse God_? A Norse God who was, apparently, in love with him.

But Tony didn't know that for sure. Loki had never said that.

There had been the looks. And the arguments when Tony first created Iron Man. And the way Loki's body fell, the way he _gave up_ after kidnapping Tony.

Tony shook his head. Whatever the fuck happened- whatever _had_ happened in their past- Tony now had a choice to make.

There was only one thing he could really do.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki rolled the human eye between his fingers before dropping it into his pocket. He made his way outside, and smirked when he noted the screaming mortals. As he walked, his suit changed to his green-and-gold armour, horned helmet materialising atop his head. He strolled across the ground and then down the stairs.

The humans were trying to escape, so Loki thrust the sceptre out, and blue magic blasted through the air before hitting the ground. The explosion rang in Loki's ears, as well as louder mortal screams. He crossed the road and turned to see a car with bright flashing lights careening towards him.

Loki paused, tilted his head, and then pointed the sceptre. The car was lifted from the road and Loki watched, a look of bored detachment on his face. Then, just for fun, he threw the car back and watched it erupt into a ball of fire.

A slight smile tugged at Loki's lips, and he blasted more things aside, watching as fire and dust and chunks of rock rained down on the terrified people of Stuttgart. He slowly rounded them into one group and stood before them, grinning down at them. Gods, they were so _pathetic. Filthy_ little mortals, running around their big blue orb, thinking that they were the very best. Did they not realise that there were hundreds, _thousands_ , of alien races out there that were better, stronger, _smarter_ , than these insignificant mud-monkeys?

Loki wanted to destroy them all. He wanted to make them kneel before him, and then he'd rip their limbs from their sockets. He wanted to cut and tear, watch blood flow across his hands and boots. He wanted their screams to drown out the ache in his head and in his heart; drown out the Other and Thanos and Asgard and _Anthony Edward Stark_.

They would all burn. Every single one of them.

'Kneel before me,' Loki hissed. The mortals continued to panic and waddle about. 'I said...' Loki created four clones, easily caging the mortals in, and shouted, _'KNEEL!'_

And then, like the sheep that they were, they kneeled. Every single one of them got down on their knees, and Loki grinned madly. They wouldn't be kneeling for long, no. Loki would _slaughter_ them.

Just because he could.

And, oh... of _course_. There was always one human. One man, it seemed, who was willing to stand up to Loki. Loki stared as the man glared at him, clearly afraid, but willing to stand up for what he believed in.

He would die a quick death, Loki decided.

'Let him be an example,' he stated and raised his sceptre. He threw a blast at the man-

\- and that was when the lovely little super hero group that Barton had told him about turned up.

Captain America, Loki decided, was a fucking arsehole. He got between Loki and his victim, his shield deflecting Loki's blow and turning it back on him. Loki felt the magic hit him in the gut and dropped, winded, as the mortals around them panicked and tried to flee once more.

The blue-and-red clad man rambled about some mortal standing in Germany, but Loki ignored it in favour of staring at the skin-tight suit the man was wearing. Honestly, was _this_ what super heroes in Midgard wore? Did they have no taste?

'The solider,' he hissed and advanced towards Captain America, 'the man out of time.'

'I'm not the one who's out of time,' the Captain said, and Loki spotted a quinjet- one of _Stark's_ designs- as it materialised seemingly from thin-air. It hovered over Captain America, and Loki tilted his head as he stared at it.

Suddenly the bottom of the vessel opened, and a rather large gun appeared, pointed at Loki.

“ _Loki, drop your weapon and stand down_ ,” a female voice ordered.

_Do they not realise that these pesky little bullets do nothing to injure me?_ Loki thought, even as he raised his sceptre.

He blasted a bolt of magic at the quinjet, but it veered sharply to the left, and before Loki could re-adjust his aim he was hit in the shoulder by the Captain's shield. It was a rather ingenious thing, Loki decided, as he felt his skin threaten to break under the blow.

The Captain was suddenly before him, and Loki smirked as he sliced at the mortal with his sceptre. Rogers brought his shield up, deflecting the blow, but Loki struck again, and again, finally managing to throw the man clear.

Rogers rolled onto his feet and threw his shield- that seemed to be his only fighting move- and Loki deftly slapped it aside. The man came at him again, and he and Loki traded blows, the Captain dodging quite a few before Loki once again slammed the sceptre into him, sending him sprawling.

He stalked over to Rogers, to the mortal who _dared_ to stand up against Loki. Even if he was a “super soldier”, he was no match for a _god_.

Rogers tried to stand, but Loki pressed the butt of the sceptre to his head, forcing Captain America to remain on his knees. 'Now...' he hummed as he looked down at the little man trying to play hero, ' _kneel_.'

'Not today,' Rogers snapped before kicking the sceptre- and Loki- aside. Loki flailed backwards at the sudden move, and was kicked in the chest. He stumbled back and Rogers tried to kick his feet from under him, but Loki was too quick. His stepped over the man's foot and slashed at him, making Rogers duck and weave to the right.

_Typical_ , which was why Loki crouched down, grabbed the mortal's leg, and tossed him aside.

He was vaguely aware of the quinjet hovering somewhere nearby, but Romanov- whom Loki assumed was at the controls- wouldn't fire upon Loki, not while Captain America was so close. If the idiot just stepped aside, Romanov would have a clear shot, but _no_. Rogers was just like Thor; he had to jump straight into the fray to prove his worth, to do what was _right_ , regardless of what was _smart_. Oh, Loki was going to enjoy skinning Rogers alive.

Music reached Loki's ears over the screams of the mortals, Rogers' panting, and the quinjet hovering above. He froze where he stood, recognition rolling over him.

'No,' he whispered.

_'Shoot to Thrill, by AC/DC,' Tony told him, a look of disbelief in his eyes. 'How don't you know AC/DC?!'_

_'Not all of us spend our days trying to cause early loss of hearing, Anthony.'_

_'You have no fucking taste, Lokes. Sit down, shut the hell up, and listen to the beauty that is AC/DC.'_

Loki whirled around and looked up-

There, _right there_ , jetting through the sky, was the unmistakable sight of Iron Man.

' _No_ ,' he hissed again. Before he could teleport away, or blast that good for nothing _human_ out of the sky, bright lights flashed before his eyes, and two repulsor blasts slammed into his chest. He was thrown clear off of his feet, just like the first time he'd faced Tony's repulsors.

Pain speared up his back as he slammed into the stairs, and Loki groaned slightly as he tried to sit up. When he did, it was to Iron Man and Captain America. Iron Man had one repulsor aimed at his face, the other gauntlet turned down so that some other type of weapon could be pointed at his stomach. Small flaps on Iron Man's shoulders flipped up, and Loki knew that even more fire power was now trained directly on his person.

He couldn't see Tony's- _Stark's_ \- eyes through the Iron Man mask, but he knew that the man would, no doubt, be glaring. His ex-lover turned villain, how dull for the billionaire who had it all.

'Make a move, Reindeer Games,' Stark's electronically enhanced voice spoke, and Loki glared at him, putting as much venom and spite and _hatred_ into the act as he could. Captain America was staring down at him, too, and slowly Loki raised his hands.

He magiced his helmet and sceptre away so that he was only sitting in his armour, facing down two of SHIELD's very best.

His opinion of Captain America was still considerably low. Stark, on the other hand...

Iron Man lowered both hands, and everything on his suit slid back into place. 'Good move,' he stated, like he was congratulating a _child_.

Loki had to bite back a snarl.

'Mr Stark,' Captain America breathed heavily, nodding at the armour-clad man.

'Captain,' Stark returned.

They both just continued to stare at Loki.

'And how do you plan on getting me aboard your fine little ship?' the Jötunn asked.

Rogers looked at Stark, who remained silent.

Loki smirked.


	6. Chapter 6

“ _Just lay in the atmosphere_

_A casual... affair..._

_(I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it again_

_I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it again...)”_

  
  


_**[Then]** _

  
  


The loud thumping of the music was suddenly drowned out, and Tony's grip on his glass tightened. Rhodey was yammering about something in his ear, but Tony had already stopped listening.

Loki Odinson was practically lounging across the bar, his ass wrapped in leather trousers, an equally tight shirt sticking to his body. The buttons were black, matching the dress shirt, and the tie wrapped around his neck was a bright emerald green. His hair had been slicked back like usual, and Tony ran his eyes from Loki's dark head, down to his long, lean legs, and back up again.

He licked his lips, and that was when Loki turned and glanced his way. He smirked and raised his newly acquired drink in Tony's direction before taking a sip. The flashing lights bounced off of his pale skin, and Tony saw Loki trail long fingers down his neck, tugging briefly at the collar of his shirt.

'Tony!' Rhodey shouted.

'Yeah,' Tony grunted, briefly ripping his eyes away from Loki. 'What?'

'You haven't been listening, have you?' Rhodey asked, sounding exasperated.

'What? No, Rhodey, I'm totally listening,' Tony lied. 'Uh... what were you saying?' His eyes had already drifted back to the bar, which he could just see through the crowd, but his heart sank; Loki was gone. 'Damn it.'

Rhodey sighed and shook his head. 'You said that you'd hang out with me tonight, Tone,' the soldier said. 'If you'd rather go find someone to warm your bed tonight, then go.'

'No, Rhodey,' Tony groaned and turned to face his friend. 'I promise I won't. I just saw someone that I know.'

'Someone you know?' Rhodey echoed, dark eyebrows going up. 'Or someone you've slept with?'

'Uh... are the two mutually exclusive?' Tony asked, trying for a cheeky grin. Rhodey shook his head again. 'Yeah, so I've slept with him, so what?' Tony then shrugged. 'I haven't seen him in months.'

'So...?' Rhodey questioned. Tony blinked at him and the soldier barked out a laugh. 'Wait, do you _want_ to see him again?'

'Maybe,' Tony hummed. He looked back at the bar, but it was still sans-Loki. It had been about six months since he'd last seen the green-eyed man, and in that time Tony had thought, “ _They're not as good as Loki_ ” while with a one-night stand at least two dozen times. He'd even said it out-loud, once, and the woman had huffed and stormed out. Not that Tony had cared; he could get himself off with his hand and memory alone better than that woman could have. 'He's pretty good in bed,' he mumbled as an after-thought.

Rhodey laughed again and clapped him on the back. 'With the way you treat your partners, are you sure that hewants to see _you_ again?'

'Piss off, Rhodey,' Tony scowled. 'He knew what it was and we left on good terms, alright? I _can_ make adult decisions.'

'Not often,' the soldier commented.

Tony punched him again, and then froze when long arms wrapped around his waist, and cold lips ghosted over his ear. 'Fancy meeting you here, Mr Stark.'

Tony shivered and turned slightly so that he could see Loki from the corner of his eye. 'Well hi there.'

Loki smirked and then looked past Tony at Rhodey, who was just staring at him. Loki ran his eyes up and down Rhodey, and Tony had to fight down a wave of jealous. Tony Stark did _not_ get jealous.

'And who's your friend?' Loki questioned, standing slowly. He moved away from the genius but left one arm loosely wrapped around his waist.

'Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes,' the man said, holding his hand out for Loki to shake. Loki stared at the appendage like it had personally offended him, but shook Rhodey's hand when Tony nudged him.

'This is-' Tony began, but Loki interrupted.

'Liam Jones,' Loki said and smirked when Tony rolled his eyes.

'Nice to meet you,' Rhodey nodded, sipping his drink. 'So how do you and Tony know each other?'

'We did some business together a while ago,' Loki said. His smirk widened. 'And had a dalliance... or seventy.'

'Seventy?' Tony frowned. 'I'm pretty sure we didn't do it that many times, Lo'.'

'Hmm, well you were asleep half of the time, or exhausted,' Loki shrugged.

Tony raised his eyebrows. 'Are you trying to tell me that you slept with me while I was... _asleep_?'

'Partially asleep,' Loki corrected. 'You moaned and shouted my name, so I assumed that it was alright.'

Rhodey looked between the two before shaking his head. 'Wow, there are two of you,' he muttered. Tony wasn't listening, because Loki had his hand tucked into one of the back pockets of Tony's jeans, and was squeezing his ass.

'Loki,' he half-growled, half-moaned.

Loki, of course, just smirked like the bitch that he was.

'Do you live in New York, Liam?' Rhodey asked.

'No, I live in London,' Loki told him. 'I'm just here on business.'

'What do you do?' the soldier asked.

Loki smiled and said, 'I do... a great number of things. People contact me for certain services that only my skill set is able to accomplish.'

'You're making yourself sound like a prostitute,' Tony felt the need to pipe in.

Loki raised an eyebrow as he looked down at him. 'Who said that I'm not?' he questioned and gave Tony's ass a firm squeeze. Tony jolted forward and spilled his drink down his hand, making Loki chuckle. 'Are you alright, Anthony?'

'Fine,' Tony growled and downed what was left in his glass. 'I'm gonna get another drink.'

He somehow managed to untangle himself from Loki and pushed his way through the crowd. When he got to the bar he ordered something with vodka in it, and had just paid when a familiar hand stroked up his back and wrapped around his neck.

'I'm not a prostitute, Anthony, if you were concerned about that,' Loki mumbled into his ear.

Tony shivered and took a sip of his drink. 'I couldn't care less about what you do in your spare time,' he shrugged honestly. 'Or during your... work hours,' he added.

Loki hummed. 'Good.' He pressed himself against Tony's back, and oh, that was _definitely_ not a cell phone in Loki's pocket. 'Would you care to join me on the dance floor?'

'I, uh, don't really dance,' Tony admitted.

'Neither do I,' Loki grinned as the older man turned to face him. 'Some people call it having sex with clothes on while in public, but that's _such_ a mouthful.' He licked his lips, and fuck, Tony needed another drink. Or for Loki to be naked.

That last one sounded better.

'Now, will you join me?' Loki asked, holding his hand out.

Tony didn't hesitate; he abandoned his drink on the bar and grabbed Loki's hand. Loki threaded their fingers together as he tugged Tony through the crowd. They eventually found a spot to dance, and Loki pulled Tony closer, his arms going around Tony's waist. Tony hooked his own arms around Loki's shoulders and looked up at him as they pressed close together.

There was a loud song playing (techno-pop or whatever they called it) that made Tony feel like his body was vibrating. Or maybe that was Loki and the sinful way he was swaying his hips making Tony feel too hot, his skin prickling.

Loki's eyes seemed even brighter in the dull lighting and flashing colours coming from all over the place. They shone in his pale face, and his lips were pink and wet wherever he ran his tongue over them. He had to know that Tony was staring, because he somehow pressed tighter against the smaller man, his breath fanning over Tony's face.

'So what _are_ you doing in New York?' Tony asked loudly over the music.

'Business,' was all Loki said, grinding his hips against Tony's. Tony shuddered and let out a soft moan that he hoped the music drowned out. 'I think the more important thing to think about is what I'm going to be doing in half-an-hour.'

Tony chuckled. 'Half-an-hour? Don't think I'll last that long.'

Loki laughed too and ran one of his hands up Tony's back, over his neck, and through his hair. Tony knew that Loki heard his moan then, but he couldn't hold it in when Loki scraped his nails across his scalp.

'I-I'm in the same hotel as last time,' Tony breathed out.

'Too far,' Loki hummed. His other hand dropped back down to Tony's ass and groped him through his jeans. 'The denim you're wearing leaves very little to the imagination, Anthony.'

'You've already seen me naked,' Tony pointed out.

'It's been months,' Loki said. 'I need another look, just to make sure I'm remembering correctly.'

Tony couldn't stop himself; he leaned forward to lick and suck on Loki's neck, digging his teeth into the milky-white skin when Loki hissed and tugged him closer. He clawed at Loki's back and eventually managed to get Loki's shirt up, his hands finding smooth, cold skin.

It was just like Tony remembered and he groaned into Loki's ear before moving back down to continue biting and sucking marks into Loki's neck. Loki's hips thrust against his own, grinding their trapped cocks together, and Loki started panting when Tony found a spot just above his collar bone that made Loki's body shake.

Soon enough Loki grabbed Tony's chin and wrenched him up for a dirty, open-mouthed kiss that left Tony's chest heaving as he tried to suck in enough air. Loki's lips grazed against Tony's goatee, and he tugged on Tony's bottom lip with his teeth before drawing back.

'I think the alley out back is quiet enough,' Loki murmured.

'Fuck,' Tony groaned and closed his eyes. He thought about what Pepper had texted him early; _under no circumstances are you to make an ass out of yourself tonight, I'm still dealing with that fiasco between you and the super model's husband._ He shook his head when Loki's fingers dipped below the waistband of his jeans and thought, _fuck it._ 'Let's go,' he said and grabbed Loki's wrist.

Loki turned immediately and pushed his way through the crowd, not stopping to apologise to the people who cursed at him. He dragged Tony along after him, and Tony had a hard time keeping up with Loki's long strides. Damn tall people and their stupidly long legs.

Eventually they made their way outside, the bouncers standing out front giving them looks as they hastened away. Loki turned the corner sharply and threw Tony against the dirty concrete wall, immediately fixing his mouth against Tony's neck.

Tony moaned and turned to bury his face- and hands- in Loki's dark, slicked back hair. He tugged on the strands as Loki mouthed along his skin, licking and nipping and generally doing everything in his power to send Tony insane.

Loki smelled funny, Tony realised after Loki had left a fourth hickey; there was some scent under his cologne that Tony couldn't make out. It was sharp, bitter, but _very_ familiar. Tony took another deep whiff and then blinked in shock when he realised what the scent was. 'You smell like gunpowder.'

'I had some business to attend to before coming here,' Loki mumbled as he nibbled on Tony's neck.

'You an assassin, then?' Tony asked, and then groaned when Loki gave him an extra-sharp bite.

'I was at a gun range,' Loki said. He looked up and winked at Tony. 'Of course, for the right price, I could kill somebody for you. That Ms Potts seems rather heavy-handed with you.'

'Hey, leave Pepper alone, she's awesome,' Tony said. He tugged on Loki's hair to get the Brit back to his neck. 'Besides, I'd be dead without her.'

'I'll have to send her a muffin basket, then,' Loki commented.

Tony giggled at the thought of Pepper's face when she found a muffin basket from Loki waiting for her on her desk. She still didn't like Loki- or Lucas Smith, as she kept calling him- not since Loki had driven a motorcycle on the sidewalks of Manhattan.

Tony's giggles morphed into moans and grunts when Loki's long, pale fingers slid down his shirt and to his jeans. They deftly opened Tony's belt, and when the fly had been unzipped Loki pulled back.

'Don't move, Anthony,' he ordered, voice husky, and Tony could do nothing but comply. He leaned heavily against the wall as Loki slid his jeans down to his ankles. Tony's erection was straining at his boxer-briefs, and Loki eyed it before slowly dropping to his knees. Tony groaned; it was a good sight, Loki kneeling before him, and Tony reached out to brush his hand through Loki's black hair.

He still had no idea how Loki got it to stay in place; it looked like it was full of product, but the strands were soft and dry beneath his fingers. His hair easily fell out of place as Tony tugged at the strands, and the movement made Loki lean forward to nuzzle at Tony's groin.

' _Fuck_ ,' Tony hissed and tugged sharply. Loki just sucked at the wet patch in Tony's boxer-briefs, his nose and lips brushing against Tony's dick. 'You gonna blow me any time soon?' Tony demanded, his breath hitching slightly. 'Or just nose at my boxers?'

Loki glanced up at him. 'Have you _asked_ me to suck you off?' he questioned. 'Because I didn't hear a demand.'

'Hey, I'm following your lead here, Green Eyes,' Tony huffed. 'You told _me_ not to move, so I figured you had a plan.'

'I do,' Loki hummed pleasantly, his lips now going up and down, up and down, _up and fucking down 'cause he was a goddamn tease!_ 'But you interrupted me. Now it'll take me longer to _blow you_ , as you said.'

'Fuck you, Lokes,' Tony groaned and drooped back against the wall.

Loki chuckled and pressed delicate kisses to the outline of Tony's cock, followed by a lick over the trapped head. Tony gave a full body shiver that made Loki chuckle, _the bastard_ , and Tony scowled down at him.

Loki huffed and muttered, 'You're no fun,' before hooking his fingers under the waistband of Tony's briefs and tugging them down. Tony sighed in relief as his cock bounced against his stomach before jutting out before Loki, as though begging for Loki's touch. Thankfully, Loki curled his fingers around Tony's length, the sudden cool touch against his over-heated skin making Tony hiss.

Any discomfort disappeared when Loki stroked up, then down, then up again, his thumb running over the head and spreading the pre-come already pooling. He pushed Tony's foreskin up and down with every flick of his wrist, and Tony slouched back against the wall, his hips thrusting forward into the touch.

'Fuck, Loki,' he moaned softly. 'Keep doing that.'

'Just this?' Loki asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. Then again, when was Loki _not_ teasing him? 'Am I not allowed to do anything else?' Loki questioned. His free hand moved down Tony's shirt and then his thigh before sliding under Tony's cock to cup his balls. 'Not even this?'

'Fuck!' Tony shouted and bucked up. 'Uh... y-yeah, you can do that,' he nodded quickly.

Loki leered at him and quickened his pace, now tugging and rolling Tony's balls in his left hand. Tony kept thrusting into his hand, and Loki didn't stop him. He even batted his head against Tony's hand when the shorter man stopped pulling on his hair.

'You're like a cat,' Tony commented breathlessly.

'Shut up, Stark, or I'll leave before you find your release,' Loki warned.

'Shutting up,' Tony grunted and pressed his lips together. He didn't last long, though; especially when Loki suddenly darted forward and swallowed half of Tony's cock down. ' _SHIT!_ ' Tony half-screamed as warm, wet lips sucked him down. A clever tongue wrapped around his girth before flattening out, and Tony shook, his legs threatening to give out. 'Fuck, Loki, give a guy a little warning!' the genius growled.

Loki fucking _smirked_ at him, the dick. Which was kind of impressive, given that his mouth was rather full. Loki had proven months before that he had absolutely no trouble deep-throating Tony, and he proved it again as he slowly but steadily moved down Tony's erection until the head slid down his throat. His nose brushed against the curls around the base of Tony's cock, and he nuzzled a bit before sucking.

Tony's hips jolted forward at the sudden pleasure, and he hissed between clenched teeth, worried that Loki would stop if he kept talking. Loki seemed pleased and slowly slid back up his length, licking and humming as he did, before twirling his tongue around the head. He sucked one more time before pulling off with a _pop_ and started pressing kisses to Tony's length, only stopping to once more lick pre-come from the tip.

Sighing, Tony reached out to run his fingers through Loki's hair again, and Loki hummed and pushed into the touch. His eyes once more found Tony's before he bent down to lick and suck at Tony's balls. His left hand trailed down the warm skin before disappearing behind, and Tony jumped when a wet finger slid between his cheeks to touch his hole. _Fuck, where the hell did Loki get lube from?_

_Magic,_ Tony's mind then supplied randomly, and Loki was really, _really_ good with his mouth, because magic was bullshit, Tony didn't fucking live in Hogwarts.

Oh, that perfect mouth was back, easily fitting all of Tony inside, and Loki sucked, hummed, and generally did dirty things with his tongue, bringing Tony closer and closer to his climax. His other hand was still behind Tony, finger circling his entrance, and Tony was torn between thrusting forward into that warm heat and pushing back so that Loki's finger would frickin' penetrate him and offer some more awesome pleasure.

Loki finally took the choice away; he swallowed down Tony's cock and thrust his finger in, jamming it against the genius' prostate on the first try, and his throat squeezed around Tony's dick tightly, making Tony gasp out a choked, ' _L-Loki_!'

Loki looked up at him even as he continued to suck, and Tony knew that the green-eyed man was giving him permission. So he threaded his fingers through Loki's hair tightly and tugged forward as he thrust into Loki's mouth.

Loki didn't stop him, not even when Tony spied saliva dripping down Loki's chin. He just knelt there before Tony, completely still, moaning and staring at Tony as the genius fucked into his mouth. His finger continued to move in and out of Tony's hole, constantly hitting his prostate, and the pleasure in Tony's stomach twisted and grew until Tony knew that he couldn't hold it back any longer.

'Lo', I'm gonna... _uh_ , gonna...'

Loki just nodded, and Tony threw his head back, felt his entire body tense, and came down Loki's throat with a hoarse cry of the Brit's name. Loki swallowed everything the genius had to offer, not faltering once, and waited until Tony had slumped against the dirty concrete wall before carefully removing his finger and pulling off of Tony's cock.

'Damn,' Tony sighed breathlessly as Loki licked his red, swollen lips. 'Have I told you how clever your mouth is?' Tony questioned.

Loki chuckled, voice a bit hoarse. 'I've been told on more than one occasion that I have a wicked tongue.' He stood gracefully and Tony eyed him, watching as Loki easily undid his leather pants. He wasn't wearing underwear, like usual, and Tony's cock gave a valiant twitch when Loki's own appeared.

Tony wouldn't be getting it up for at least half-an-hour, so instead he wrapped his fingers around Loki and gave a firm tug. Loki sighed in relief and leaned forward, placing his hands either side of Tony's head on the wall. His mouth was _right there_ , and, well, what was Tony supposed to do? He ducked forward and pressed his lips to Loki's, Loki’s mouth immediately opening for Tony’s probing tongue.

The taller man started thrusting into Tony's fist, and his groans were swallowed by Tony's mouth. 'Come on, Lo',' Tony mumbled after sucking on Loki's tongue. 'I know you wanna come all over me.'

Loki gasped and moved quicker. He grunted out Tony's name as Tony's thumb rubbed over the head of his cock over and over again, and Tony felt the taller man tense, his breathing quicken, and then-

' _Tony_ ,' Loki breathed as he climaxed, liquid shooting over Tony's fist and shirt. Tony watched pleasure rush over Loki's face and body, his forehead smoothing, his body relaxing, his cock continuing to twitch in Tony's fist. Tony slowly squeezed every last drop from Loki until the green-eyed man shuddered and slapped his hand away.

Tony snickered before he hooked his fingers under Loki's chin and pulled him up for a kiss. Loki licked along the seam of Tony's mouth and was allowed in, their lips melding together warmly as their tongues slowly flicked against each other.

As they kissed, Loki gradually became aware of a commotion at the end of the alley. He pulled back from Tony and turned to look, one eyebrow arching when he noted the humans with cameras and cell phones, snapping pictures of him and Tony.

'I think it's time we moved this to your hotel,' Loki commented.

Tony turned, too, and swore harshly when he spotted the paparazzi. He pushed Loki back and the taller man stumbled before reaching to tuck himself away, while Tony did the same. They couldn't remove the evidence from Tony's shirt, but at least the reporters wouldn't get any more photos of the two half-naked. 

'Mr Stark!' one of the paparazzo shouted when he and the others got closer. 'Who's your new lover?'

Before Tony could even think about answering, another man demanded, 'Why are you having sex in public, Mr Stark?'

'Have you dumped the model's husband for this man?' That one was a woman.

'Mr Stark! Mr Stark!' they all shouted together, trying to get Tony to answer their question first.

Loki grabbed Tony's wrist and they ran; they ran down the alley, the reporters hot on their heels, and across the road, ignoring the honked horns from pissed off commuters. They pushed their way through people walking down the street, and between parked cars. Slowly, the paparazzi fell behind, until it was just Tony and Loki, running through Central Park, their breathing laboured (at least in Tony's case) and their faces shining with sweat.

Tony laughed at the sheer absurdity of it; running wouldn't stop the reporters from publishing the pictures of him and Loki fucking, but the two ran anyway. Tony felt alive; his heart thumped painfully quickly and blood rushed through his veins. He hadn't felt this alive since...

Since the last time he'd been with Loki.

Loki threw a smirk at him over his shoulder as they continued to run, their footsteps muffled by the grass beneath their feet. Tony laughed again.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki finally stopped beside a bench and Tony collapsed onto it, hunched over as he tried to catch his breath. Loki laughed at him as he reached into his leather trousers and pulled out a half-crushed packet of cigarettes, and Anthony just flipped him off. Loki slid a cigarette between his lips and lit it with a zippo, the noise drawing Tony's attention.

'You don't smoke,' Anthony stated when he saw the cigarette.

Loki smiled at him and rolled the stick between his fingers, letting the ash fall onto the grass. 'I picked it up recently,' he said. He preferred these Midgardian cigarettes over the weeds and herbs they smoked on Asgard and Álfheimr.

They didn't smell or taste as disgusting as the weed on Asgard, and the smoke didn't morph into dancing Elves or leaves blowing in the wind like it did on Álfheimr. It just spiralled upwards in thick grey tendrils until it slowly disappeared. Loki also liked the rush of chemicals; they way his mind spun that bit faster after he'd smoked an entire packet.

He took another drag and sat on the bench beside Anthony, blowing smoke above his head. 'Would you care for one?' he queried, holding the packet out.

'I haven't smoked in years,' Tony admitted, but took one anyway. Loki lit it for him and the mortal groaned loudly as he took his first inhale. 'Shouldn't have started again,' Tony muttered, taking another drag before the smoke had finished drifting from his lips. 'I have an addictive personality.'

'Do you now?' Loki hummed.

'I like fast cars, expensive alcohol, and beautiful people,' Tony said, winking when Loki looked his way.

Loki chuckled. 'We have much in common,' he stated, thinking about the fast horses he rode at home on Asgard, the wine he'd smuggled into his chambers from Earth, and the line of men whom he'd thrown from whatever bedroom he occupied after having his way with them.

He had too much in common with Anthony. They both loved to learn; sucking knowledge out of whatever book or computer they were looking at; wringing dry the people who had mastered the arts and technology that Loki and Tony were trying to learn about. They saw the world similarly; always trying to figure out how to make things better, how to shine, how to create chaos that they could laugh at and bask in.

Loki pushed those thoughts away and crossed his legs, throwing one arm over the back of the bench and taking another drag of his cigarette. He tilted his head back and blew smoke into the air, watching it disappear. Anthony stared at him, a small smile making his lips curl.

'Is your hotel far from here?' Loki questioned.

'Twenty minute walk,' Anthony told him. He leaned back, his shoulders brushing against Loki's arm, and Loki couldn't help it; he curled his arm around Tony's shoulders and pulled Tony towards him. The mortal settled against his side as they continued to smoke. 'Are you in a hurry?' Tony asked.

Loki let the feeling of a warm, willing person beside him rush through him, and smiled slightly. 'Not at all,' he said, and took another drag. Beside him, Anthony did the same.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


“ _The police are unable to determine just who the gunmen or bomber were, and are hesitant to state that it was indeed a rival gang. The bomb squad is still sweeping the area, and the local high school and a number of businesses are still shut until the area can be deemed safe and the remaining buildings can be searched._

_In other news, billionaire playboy Tony Stark has once again made headlines when he_ - _”_

Tony groaned and tossed the remote aside after flicking the TV off, his head tipping back as he closed his eyes.

'Outdone by a local bombing,' Loki mused from where he was lying across an armchair, his legs crossed, his back pressed to the opposite armrest.

Tony snorted humourlessly. 'Seriously, me fucking some guy in an alley way is on the news after a _bombing_?' he demanded. 'What the hell is wrong with the media? Aren't there more important things to talk about than what I get up to in the bedroom?'

'Technically we weren't in a bedroom,' Loki felt the need to point out, and just grinned when Tony glared at him.

'I would have made the front page if it wasn't for that bombing,' Tony told him. 'Aren't there local shootings they can report on? The government spending too much money and killing people in other countries? _Anything_?'

'You people seem to be fixated on what celebrities do,' Loki commented with a delicate shrug of his shoulder. 'I doubt that that will change any time soon.' He went back to reading the paper which, of course, had printed pictures of what he and Tony had got up to the previous night. Loki's face was either blurry or hidden in Tony's neck as they fucked, and the more crude pictures had been blacked-out or not shown.

Loki seemed to find it all highly amusing. Then again, the media wasn't printing _his_ name everywhere; they hadn't even gotten a clear shot of his face! _And_ Loki didn't have his PA, his best friend, and half of the men sitting on his company's board leaving him angry voicemails and emails. Tony supposed that he'd find it funny, too, if it were happening to someone else.

But it wasn't, so he was pissed off.

'So, what plans do you have?' Loki asked suddenly, bringing Tony back to the present. 'I'm in New York for three weeks.'

'Three weeks, really?' Tony asked, his face lighting up with a grin, hope swelling in his chest before he could stop it. 'Awesome.'

'Mm,' Loki hummed. His green eyes flicked to Tony, and he raised an eyebrow. 'Are you going to answer me, or shall I assume that you're busy and go find someone else's bed to warm?'

'Fuck you!' Tony snapped and threw the remote at him. Loki somehow managed to duck around it, and ended up slouched further on the armchair. 'I'm free, apart from a few meetings,' Tony said when Loki poked his tongue out at him. 'Anything in particular you want to do?'

'Aside from riding you until I find release? No, not really,' Loki said.

Tony groaned and flopped back. 'I hate you, Lo'.'

'You do not,' Loki said pleasantly.

Tony tilted his head back again as he thought. What could he and Loki do besides going out to eat and causing mass panic and embarrassment?

'You ever been to the zoo, Loki?' he questioned.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


He and Loki were banned from Central Park Zoo for life after Loki somehow managed to free the penguins, snakes, and wolves. They couldn't actually prove that it was Loki, seeing as how he hadn't been caught on any cameras doing anything, but that didn't stop the zoo from kicking them out anyway. Loki had named himself Lance Johnson, and Tony swore to himself that next time _he'd_ pick the alias. Something stupid like Hanson Herkbag or Dick Appsole. Something that'd piss Loki off and get Tony some awesome rough sex.

'Why'd you do it?' Tony had asked as they climbed into Tony's car, the zoo security still glaring at them and watching their every move.

'Snakes and wolves aren't pets for some silly humans to stare at!' Loki snapped.

'And the penguins?' Tony questioned.

Loki paused before smiling brightly. 'Penguins are adorable,' he said and slammed the door. He lounged back and added, 'Besides, who said I did anything?'

Tony groaned.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


'I have to go to Afghanistan,' Tony sighed after he'd ended the call and walked into the living room. He'd been phoned while sucking Loki off, so Loki wasn't in a good mood; he'd even threatened to throw Tony out of the hotel window if he answered his cell.

Tony answered anyway, and Loki slapped him before stomping off into the living room.

Loki raised an eyebrow but didn't look up from the book he was reading (or pretending to read, he still looked upset to Tony). 'Afghanistan?'

'Yeah, a weapons demonstration for the new _Jericho_ missile; Obie organised it,' Tony said. 'Have you heard of it?'

'A bit, yes,' Loki nodded, still not looking up. 'When do you leave?'

'Tomorrow morning,' Tony said.

'And when do you get back?'

'A few days; four or so,' Tony said. 'The board members of Stark Industries don't want me in Afghanistan for too long in case I die.' Loki looked up sharply, his eyes narrowed, and Tony suddenly felt like he'd crossed a line of some sort. 'Hey, I'll be fine,' he tried to joke. 'I'm Tony Stark, remember?'

'Yes, that's why I'm worried,' Loki said. He stood and tossed his book aside as made his way to Tony, then took Tony's hands and held them in his own. He stared at their joined digits before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Promise me that you'll take care of yourself.'

Tony frowned at the serious tone in Loki's voice, but when Loki looked up at him, his bright eyes hard, the genius nodded. 'Yeah, Lokes,' he said and squeezed the taller man's fingers. 'I promise.'

Loki nodded and then drew him into a kiss. Both tried to ignore the feelings behind it.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony was packed and ready to go by the next morning. He and Loki stood on the sidewalk before Tony's hotel, one of Tony's many cars waiting before them, Happy Hogan behind the wheel. Pepper was already inside; she's said something about wanting to run over Tony's schedule again before seeing Tony off. She had stated outright that Loki wasn't allowed to accompany them to the airport.

'Please keep yourself safe, Anthony,' Loki said, his voice soft, breath even softer against Tony's lips.

'Yeah,' Tony nodded, still breathing heavily from the kiss (read; quick make-out session), 'I'll be fine, Loki.'

Loki nodded too, and then kissed Tony again. 'I'll see you when you get back.'

'Okay,' Tony said and squeezed Loki's fingers before leaving. Loki watched the car go, whisking his lover away to the airport.

Loki had a sinking feeling in his gut, and in his 1046 years, the god had learned to trust that feeling.

Which was why he felt like screaming. 

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


_Gunfire was everywhere, the sharp sound of bullets slamming into metal and thumping into sand filling Tony's ears. He scrambled across the sand as something whistled overhead, and there was shouting, loud voices in a different language getting closer. Tony could still hear the screams of the dying, even long after all the light had left their eyes, and it made him feel like vomiting._

_He ducked behind a rock and tugged his StarkPhone from his pocket, quickly sliding it open to call... someone, anyone- Rhodey! Rhodey would save him, he was a soldier._

_Tony had only just connected to a satellite when there was a whistle, a_ thud _, and something landed in the sand beside him. The genius looked up, and his eyes widened when he saw the missile. It was an army-green colour, and had_ Stark Industries _stamped across the side in white lettering._

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

_Tony leapt to his feet and tried to run, tried to hide, tried to-_

_\- the missile exploded and Tony was thrown back. He hit the sand and immediately felt pain, white hot, spread through his chest and stomach. His face was stinging and the gunfire was getting louder and closer. He somehow managed to sit up and look down at his shirt. Pinpricks of red were already forming, getting bigger, and Tony ripped his shirt open._

_There was so much blood, and everything was going fuzzy. The world around him tilted, or maybe that was Tony as he fell, the sand hot against his back, the wounds in his chest even hotter._

_Tony's last thought before he passed out was,_ I broke my promise to Loki.

_And then he was roughly grabbed and dragged to his feet._

  
  


Loki gasped as he sat up, his hand already clutching at his chest, his heart beating wildly behind his ribs. The nightmare was so strong, the pictures so sharp, the pain so _real_ , that Loki felt bile rise in the back of his throat. He threw the covers off and stumbled around his chambers, quickly pulling on a pair of leather trousers, a tunic, and boots. He swept his hair back, and magic slicked it to his skull. Loki would create a glamour when he got to Midgard. Now, _right now_ , he had to leave.

Loki covered himself in magic as he teleported across Asgard, easily finding one of the paths that he used to travel between the realms. After making sure that Heimdall couldn't see him, Loki made his way to Midgard.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Anthony had been missing for three months. Three _entire months_ and they hadn't found him. Loki quickly tracked down Pepper Potts, Tony's assistant, and followed her around (whilst invisible). He discovered that she was in constant contact with the military, who were searching Afghanistan for the kidnapped billionaire. He also visited Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes, who was actually in Afghanistan, but he hadn't found anything, either.

Finally, Loki teleported to the sight where Tony had last been seen. His convoy had been attacked, and pieces of the large armoured cars the man had been travelling in were still strewn about the road. Loki focused his magic on the area, making sure to keep it hidden from Heimdall. He found the spot where Tony had been hurt; he could feel it in the sand as he crouched down to press a hand to the ground. Blood had been spilled here, a lot of it, and some was Anthony's.

Despite the oppressive heat, which Loki had never been a fan of, the Ás searched the entire area. Within twenty minutes he had tracked Tony's movements; the mortal had been dragged a few feet away before being thrown into a vehicle.

Loki continued his search long into the night, using magic to light his way. He travelled over kilometres of sand, never once seeing any human or animal life. The search parties hadn't even come in this direction, telling Loki that it really was up to him to save his kidnapped lover.

The god heard them before he saw them; the tell-tale signs of life. People were moving about beneath canopies and busying themselves in caves. They spoke in a language different to Tony's, though the All-Speak easily translated the words for Loki as he threw up a concealing spell. He moved amongst the darker skinned people, keeping his eyes and ears strained for any sign of Tony.

There were weapons everywhere; guns and missiles and things that Loki had never seen before. More than half had _Stark Industries_ printed on the side, and Loki wondered if Anthony had known that these people possessed his weapons. They didn't look like they could afford them, really, which meant that they were either stolen, or these people were just foot soldiers; men paid to do the dirty deeds for others.

Loki froze when he heard mention of a white man, and followed the mortal who'd spoken. With a few clever tricks, Loki had the man cornered behind a large wooden shed. He threw the human against it and made himself visible, snarling as he faced the man, a hand over the mortal's mouth to keep him quiet.

'Where is he?' Loki demanded.

The All-Speak made sure that Loki was understood, and the mortal spluttered behind Loki's hand, so the god removed it. Of course, he tried to scream for help, so Loki drew one of his daggers and pressed it to the man's throat.

'If you try to scream, I will slit your throat,' Loki promised. The man eyed him fearfully before nodding. 'Now tell me, where is he?'

'W-Who?' the man finally stuttered.

'The man you spoke of; the prisoner!' Loki snarled.

'T-The prisoners are k-kept in the cave o-over there,' the man got out through his fear. Loki's eyes narrowed and the mortal hastily pointed to a spot to his right that was hidden by more sheds and make-shift homes. 'There are two men guarding it and a green canopy over the entrance. He's in the deepest parts of the cave.'

Loki turned back to the man. 'If you are lying to me-'

'I'm not!' the mortal was quick to deny.

Loki nodded slowly. 'Good.' And then he stuck his dagger into the man's throat, almost severing his spine as he did. The mortal's eyes widened, but Loki made no noise, his face set on an impassive mask, as he watched the life quickly bleed from the man. When he was dead Loki dropped the body and left it where it was. These humans could do nothing to stop him, so it didn't matter if the body was found; Loki would kill them all soon enough, anyway.

Invisible once more, Loki walked down the central road, looking for the cave the mortal had described. He found it eventually; it seemed to be the main area, men coming and going all the time, and Loki easily slipped his way inside, keeping to the shadows despite the fact that he couldn't be seen.

Loki wanted to set the cave on fire. He wanted the men who had taken Anthony to scream as their flesh melted from their bones. But he couldn't risk Anthony getting caught in the cross-fire. So rather than announce himself grandly and squeeze the life out of each and every mortal present, he crept through the system of tunnels, his ears open to any and all conversation.

Eventually, after following at least a dozen mortals, Loki learned where they were keeping Anthony. He made his way to the large metal door and found two guards posted. Loki's steps didn't falter as he flickered into view, and the men spotted him and leapt to their feet. It was too late; with two quick movements, Loki's twin daggers were embedded in their necks, making them gurgle for air as they dropped. He stepped over them and tore his daggers free, wiping the blades clean on his tunic.

Loki's magic flared as he cast a spell that set his arm alight. Emerald flames flickered over his skin as he pressed his hand to the door. He watched, head tilted, as the metal melted around him, and soon enough Loki had kicked the door down.

He stepped into a rather large cave. There were cables and metal hanging from the ceiling and walls, and tables overflowing with paper and equipment were crammed into every available space. There was a pit for a fire in one corner, and what appeared to be a crude suit of armour hidden behind a board in the other corner.

Loki ignored it in favour of rushing to his lover's side. Anthony was lying directly before Loki on a low cot, and Loki was also aware of another human- a man- sleeping in the opposite corner, but everything was drowned out when Loki set eyes on Anthony.

He was thinner than Loki had ever seen him, and his face was covered in hair. The skin that was visible was dirty and bleeding, cuts raked up and down his arms and feet and face. His shirt was badly torn and hanging off of Tony's malnourished body.

Anthony was whimpering in his sleep, tossing and turning slightly, his fingers curled into fists. And...

There was something beneath his shirt; a bright blue glow that Loki had never seen before. Loki slowly peeled the once-white fabric up, and his heart stopped when he saw the _hole_ in Tony's chest.

Something blue, some kind of technology, had been _embedded_ into Anthony's chest. It was encased in metal and when Loki put his hand over Tony's chest and concentrated, he could feel more; tiny shards and small cables and just _wrong, wrong, WRONG!_ Technology that wasn't supposed to be there was now flowing through Tony's chest, and the metal shards were so close to his heart that one wrong move would send them slicing into the organ that kept Anthony alive.

Anger like Loki had never felt before seared through him, and it was all he could do not to lash out; to use his magic to blow this cave up, to use his hands and feet to strike any human who had _dared_ hurt his Anthony. He wanted to stab and cut, rip and tear, make these mortal scream before they bled-out all over the ground.

But he had to get Anthony home, first. He had to make sure Anthony lived before he got his revenge. Silently, Loki cast a spell over Anthony to keep him asleep, and then slowly picked him up. He carefully arranged Anthony in his arms before disappearing, not a trace of his existence remaining behind.

  
  


{oOo} 

  
  


Tony woke with a scream. Sand was raining down on him, smothering him, sticking to the water that already clung to Tony's skin. His lungs screamed for oxygen, first fighting water, then sand, then water again. And all the while hands clawed at Tony's face and neck, ordering him to build, to create, or they'd continue to hurt him, and Yinsen, and-

'Anthony.'

Tony twisted around on the cot... bed? Wait, no... he was in a bed. There was an actual mattress beneath him, and sheets were wrapped around his legs, sticky with sweat. The warm glow that bathed the room was from the lights overhead, not from a poorly-lit fire in the corner. Slowly the fact that Tony was at home, in his bedroom in Malibu, filtered into Tony's mind, and his eyes widened.

'Anthony,' the same voice spoke, and Tony flinched before turning. Loki was sitting on an armchair beside Tony's bed, his elbows on his knees. There were dark bags under his eyes, like he hadn't slept in days, and his hair was an unkempt mess.

'L-Loki?' he croaked.

'Here,' Loki said and reached for the jug of water that Tony hadn't seen on the beside table. He poured Tony a glass of water and passed it over.

Tony greedily sucked the entire glass down, and then another, and half of one more before he took a breath. His hands were still covered in sand and grime, but his clothes had been changed; he now wore a baggy pair of sweats and a cotton t-shirt. The arc reactor was shining a bright blue behind the material, and Tony's breath stuttered.

'Easy,' Loki soothed. He was suddenly at Tony's side; not touching, just there, in case Tony needed him. 'You're safe, Anthony,' Loki told him. 'You're at home, in Malibu. Nothing can hurt you now.'

'L-Loki,' Tony stuttered again. 'How... what...'

'You're safe; that's all that matters,' Loki stated firmly. Tony just nodded rather weakly. 'I suggest you get some more rest before bathing. Would you like me to call anyone?'

'Uh...' Tony murmured as he looked around the room again. 'Where's Pepper?' he asked. He would have thought that Pepper and Rhodey would be here when he woke up. Then again, he thought he'd be in a plane or hospital or... something. Surely he couldn't have been so weak as to miss his own rescue? And what was Loki even _doing_ in Malibu? 'Loki-'

'You have questions,' Loki interrupted, and Tony nodded at him. 'I shall answer them after you rest.'

'But...' Tony licked his cracked lips, unsure how to phrase it. The nightmares had started as soon as Tony had tried to sleep after realising that he was hooked up to a fucking car battery. The battery had only been a temporary solution, and nightmares of shrapnel slicing through his body had clawed at Tony's mind. And then, after Tony had tried to refuse to build the missile, nightmares of being tortured again played over and over and over on some kind of demented loop. The water licking at his lungs, the sand sticking to his open cuts, the blades sinking into his skin, and-

'Anthony,' Loki snapped firmly, bringing Tony back to the present. He gasped for air and hunched forward, clutching at the arc technology that now kept him alive. 'Breathe, Anthony,' Loki ordered and rubbed his back soothingly. Tony practically melted into the touch; the first warm, friendly thing he'd felt since Yinsen had last patted his shoulder. 'I'll keep your nightmares at bay,' Loki promised. 'Just rest.'

'How...?' Tony tried to ask, but Loki was gently lowering him to the mattress.

'Do you trust me, Anthony?' Loki asked. Tony blinked up at him; Loki was hovering over him, his green eyes slightly dark in the poor lighting. There were emotions warring within him, Tony could see; worry and relief and... so many other things that Tony was too tired to look at closely.

'Yes,' he said without hesitation.

Loki nodded and leaned down. His lips were gentle yet warm, and Tony found his eyes drooping even before Loki had pulled back.

'Then rest,' Loki whispered. 'When you wake, I'll be here.'

Tony nodded and mumbled Loki's name before the spell took effect. Loki watched his lover sleep peacefully for the first time since Loki had rescued him. The spell only worked when it was cast while the person was awake, and the other spells Loki had worked over Anthony- spells to heal his wounds and his empty stomach- had kept Anthony unconscious.

The Ás watched Anthony sleep for a while before standing. He had blocked all technology in the house so that he couldn't be recorded suddenly appearing or performing spells. He unblocked it now, and some type of security system went into overdrive. A voice started speaking to Loki, identifying itself as JARVIS, and informing Loki that Ms Potts and the police were being called.

Loki continued to ignore it as he made his way through the house. Good, Ms Potts should arrive soon, and she could care for Anthony while Loki was away. For now, Loki had unfinished business to attend to.

He easily circumnavigated Anthony's security system, and was soon walking down Anthony's driveway. He waited until he was out of sight of the mansion before teleporting.

There were men in the cave, as well as that mortal who had been kept captive with Anthony. Loki had no quarrel with him, so simply brushed the man aside with magic as he flickered into existence.

A shout went up, then another and another, and Loki let a feral grin spread over his face. He held out his right hand and his staff materialised, the blade at the end gleaming in the dull lighting. His armour covered his body, glowing a bright gold before settling.

These people had _hurt_ Anthony. They had taken him from Loki, had made him suffer. Loki had counted the bruises and cuts as he'd healed Tony. He couldn't do anything to soothe the emotional distress that Anthony had suffered, at least not until Anthony spoke to him about what had happened.

What Loki _could_ do was make these men suffer. He could take what they had done to Anthony and do it to them. Only, unlike Anthony, they wouldn't survive.

One of the mortal's raised a large machine gun- an S&F7, one of Anthony's- and opened fire. The bullets slammed into Loki's armour before bouncing off harmlessly. The only effect they had was to make Loki's shoulder jerk back slightly, but that was easily corrected.

These humans could do _nothing_.

Loki leapt at the closest one, his staff held before him, and before the mortal could move Loki had slammed him into the ground. He thrust the blade of his staff into the mortal's stomach, and savoured the very first scream, the very first blood spilled. More shots bounced off of Loki's back, and he ripped his staff free before spinning. He thrust his free hand forward and magic shot from his fingers, arcing through the air, before slamming into the wall opposite.

It exploded, raining dust and dirt on everyone in the cave. A few mortals were thrown clear off their feet, and Loki pounced on them first. He moved easily through the hazy air, snapping the neck of one man, slicing from the stomach to the face on another. Both dropped to the ground, dead, and Loki snarled as he went for the next one.

He hacked his way through the mortals stupid enough to try and fight, but soon they were running. Blood dripped from Loki's hands and armour, and the red liquid was splattered across his face and neck. Loki's grin widened as he walked into one of the tunnels to find a mortal trapped behind a door. The mortals thought that they could contain Loki, and had locked one of their own in with him.

'Now, now, there's no need to look so terrified,' Loki chuckled as he approached. He took slow, calculated steps, drawing this out as long as possible. The mortal whimpered and clawed at the metal door before them. 'You should have realised that you couldn't take someone as important as Tony Stark without repercussions,' Loki continued. 'I'm certain that if I hadn't rescued him, he would have destroyed you himself.'

Loki stopped directly behind the mortal, who whimpered and shook as he slowly turned to face Loki.

'Fortunately, that privilege now falls to me,' Loki said.

He gutted the man where he stood. Blood and entrails flopped over Loki's boots as he dropped the man's body, and Loki turned his bright, feral eyes on the door. He tilted his head before holding one hand up.

A surge of magic blasted the door right out of the wall, and more dust filled the cave. Loki heard screamed orders and gunfire as he stepped through the doorway and into the next room. There were six men here, and Loki grinned at each and every one of them.

He winked out of existence, and the mortals shouted and looked around wildly. Loki reappeared behind one and stuck his dagger into the man's neck. He dropped to the ground and Loki threw the dagger at another. His staff was stabbed into one man's back, and his scream echoed around the cave as Loki decapitated another.

The last two opened fire, showering Loki in bullets, and Loki threw his hand out, magic slamming into both. They were thrown into the wall and Loki heard their backs or necks or some part of their body snap. They slumped to the floor, either dead or unconscious, and Loki continued on. He finally reached light and took a deep breath of fresh air.

Panic hung thickly in the air, and Loki turned when a bright flash caught his eye. One of them had what appeared to be a flamethrower, and Loki raised an eyebrow as the man approached. There were others, Loki could either see or sense them. Almost all had weapons, and they were aimed at Loki.

Loki raised his hand and made the flames flicker back to the mortal, who screamed as he was encased in fire. Loki then turned his attention back to the cave. He knew that there were more mortals inside; men who had escaped Loki's first warpath.

Loki pointed his staff at the entrance, took a deep breath, and muttered a spell under his breath.

The cave exploded. White hot flames in a multitude of colours sprang up out of the earth, shooting into the air and covering the entire area in thick black smoke, dust, and rock. Loki stayed where he was, letting the shock wave wash over him.

A man appeared before him, somehow stumbling through the wreckage, and anger seared through Loki's body. How dare any of these men survive; how dare they _think_ that they could hurt his human!

Loki snarled as he lashed out, slicing the man's throat and chest. Blood spewed forth and the man choked out a scream as he fell. Loki made his way through the area, slashing and stabbing and crushing anyone who crossed his path. He snapped more necks and gutted more bodies, each falling dead at his feet, while not a scratch appeared on Loki himself.

Only when the last body had fallen, blood dribbling from the man's lips, fingers clawing at his sliced throat, did Loki pause. He cast his magic out and found not a hint of life. Loki stretched his magic further, but there was not a mortal soul in the area.

Loki still wasn't satisfied, and he threw even more spells, making whatever was left standing explode and catch on fire. He destroyed the entire area, he raised it to the ground, so that no other human could ever use the multitude of caves that littered the place. He didn't stop until he was gasping for breath, his limbs shaking from all the spells he had cast. With one last final look, Loki teleported away.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


The disembodied voice was aware of his presence, but Loki paid it no attention as he walked through Anthony's Malibu mansion. His magic led him back to Anthony's room, and Loki caught voices as he walked down the hallway.

'James is on his way, he wants to see you himself and make sure you're okay. And Obadiah said he'd stop by.' Ah, so Ms Potts had arrived.

'Organise a press conference,' Tony said, and Loki's lips twitched up a smile; of course the man was already awake and speaking. 'I want to explain to everyone what happened myself.'

'What exactly _did_ happen, Tony?' Ms Potts questioned. 'How did you get out?'

'I don't know, Pep,' Anthony sighed. 'Like I said, I just woke up and-' He cut himself off when he caught sight of Loki in the doorway. Ms Potts turned too and her eyes widened. 'And Luke was there,' Anthony finished.

'Good evening, Anthony, Ms Potts,' Loki said, nodding at each. His eyes turned back to the man, who was still in bed.

'Uh...' Ms Potts hesitated, clearly unsure what to do, but when Anthony nodded at her she stood from where she'd been seated. 'I'll just go downstairs and make some calls.' She reached over to squeeze Anthony's hand, and Loki bit back a wave of jealousy. 'Call me if you need anything,' she said.

Anthony just nodded, and he and Loki watched the woman leave. Loki stepped aside to let her out of the room, and then turned back to Anthony.

'Well hey there,' Tony said, his voice purposely upbeat. 'Didn't think I'd be seeing you for a while.'

'And why was that?' Loki questioned. He made his way into the room and sat on the armchair Ms Potts had occupied just seconds before.

'Well, I woke up here, in my bedroom, instead of in a cave,' Tony said. 'And you somehow made me sleep before disappearing again so you wouldn't have to answer my questions.'

Loki sighed and rubbed his eyes. 'Anthony-'

'You aren't going to tell me how you rescued me, are you?' the genius interrupted.

Loki didn't say anything. He wasn't sure how to explain it. Anthony most likely wouldn't believe that he was a god, even if he proved it with a show of magic. Loki could admit to himself that he hadn't thought this through. All he had cared about was rescuing Anthony; saving him. He couldn't bare the thought of anything happening to this beautiful, amazing human being.

Which was what told Loki that he was far too gone. His feelings had gotten away from him without Loki realising it. What was supposed to be a bit of fun had twisted into something deeper that Loki had no way of getting out of.

Anthony was still staring at him expectantly, and Loki sighed again. 'I'm not sure what to tell you,' he admitted.

'How about the truth?' Tony offered.

'You wouldn't believe me,' Loki said.

'Well, you somehow managed to block JARVIS, which has never been done before,' Tony said, 'and you got me home, from Afghanistan, which is on the other side of the fucking world. There are no reports of anyone matching our descriptions coming through any airport, and my personal security system didn't even know you were here until I feel asleep. And, when JARVIS tried to keep you in, you breezed your way through every door like they weren't locked with the very best systems I can design. So I think, at this point, I'd be willing to believe anything.'

He wouldn't. Anthony would either be disgusted by Loki, or furious that he'd lied. He'd tell Loki to get out and never come back. What would Anthony say if he knew that Loki had gone back and destroyed the people who had harmed him? He would surely hear about it eventually; Loki had slaughtered hundreds and raised the place to the ground. It was probably still on fire.

'How are you?' Loki asked instead of answering, and Anthony snorted in annoyance. 'Please, Anthony,' Loki said. 'I was unable to determine the extent of your injuries.'

Tony shook his head, but answered anyway. 'Pep brought a doctor with her. He said my injuries were pretty light, considering what I'd been through.' He threw Loki a hard look, but Loki remained silent. 'He wants me on bed rest for a week, but I told him to fuck off. I'm fine.'

'You aren't fine,' Loki growled.

'And how would you know?' Anthony demanded.

'I was the one who pulled out of that cave,' Loki said, like Anthony didn't already know that. 'I remember what you looked like. I know-' He cut himself off and looked away. He knew what torture looked like. He'd been through it enough times himself to know that Anthony was not fine. Maybe physically, eventually. But emotionally? Loki wasn't sure if those scars ever healed. He'd never figured out how to heal himself of them. 'You should rest,' Loki told him, not meeting the mortal's eyes.

'I've done enough resting,' Anthony said. 'I'm holding a press conference in an hour.'

Loki looked at him. He wanted to order Tony to stay in bed, but he knew that the mortal would fight him, even if it was just for the sake of fighting. 'Very well,' he managed to say. 'If you feel that you are up to it, than by all means do so.'

'I will,' Tony sniffed.

'Good,' Loki retorted.

Ms Potts entered the room, interrupting their conversation- or argument. It felt like an argument to Loki. Tony looked at her and Loki examined his nails.

'Happy's here with the car,' Pepper said, eyeing Loki but fixing most of her attention on Tony.

'Good,' Tony said and threw the covers back. He was still in the sweats and t-shirt Loki hand dressed him in a few hours earlier. 'Can I get a little privacy here?' he asked as he stood. He turned to Loki. 'I'm sure you can show yourself out; you know the way.'

Loki's eyes narrowed and it was Anthony who broke eye contact first, looking away to find something to wear. 'Very well,' Loki repeated. 'I shall see you soon.'

Anthony didn't say anything, so Loki turned and made his way out. Ms Potts stopped him at the door and said, 'I still want to talk to you, Mr... _Smith_.'

Loki sneered at her. 'I have business to attend to,' he snapped and pushed past. She called after him, but Loki ignored her. He stalked through the mansion and outside in silence, anger bubbling beneath his skin. The problem was that he couldn't blame Anthony for being mad; he'd been rescued and brought back to his home with no knowledge as to how it had happened, and his rescuer refused to answer any of his questions. If this had happened to Loki, the Ás knew that he'd be angry, too.

But he couldn't answer Anthony truthfully. The human wouldn't understand. He'd think Loki insane or just hate him for what he was. Loki was used to not being believed; to being hated for absolutely no reason. Why would Anthony be any different?

Loki teleported as soon as it was safe to do so, appearing in the apartment he kept in New York. He threw himself onto the couch and closed his eyes, trying to block out the emotions swarming through his body. Eventually he sighed and flicked the television on, looking for Anthony's press conference.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony had been up for three days. He was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. If it wasn't the nightmares keeping him awake, it was the ideas; memories of metal fusing to metal to make a barrier between Tony and whatever was trying to hurt him. Schematics were displayed on every screen Tony had open, all showing designs for a part of the suit Tony was working on. His back still hurt from his first test with the repulsors, but even that wasn't enough to make Tony stop. He _needed_ to work on this. If he didn't, how else would he protect himself? How else would he make up for what his company- what _he_ \- had done?

Tony heard the glass door to his lab slide open, and knew who it was without looking up. He had ordered JARVIS to not let anyone in; there was only one person Tony knew who could, apparently, get past any lock, no matter how sophisticated.

'Do you know what happened to Yinsen?' Tony asked.

Loki leapt lightly up onto the desk Tony was working at. 'Yinsen?'

'The guy I was with, in the cave,' Tony said. 'He... he saved my life.' Tony swallowed thickly and added another wire to the gauntlet he was working on.

'I saw him,' Loki said, 'but I'm afraid he must still be where I left him.'

Tony's eyes narrowed, but he still didn't look up. 'Rhodey told me what happened,' he said, voice barely above a whisper.

'And what happened?' Loki asked, sounding only slightly curious.

'I still don't know exactly where I was kept,' Tony said, 'but I was able to give him some landmarks. The place where the army assumed I was, it's gone.'

There was silence until Loki echoed, 'Gone?'

'Yeah, gone!' Tony snapped. He finally whirled around, setting his eyes on Loki. Loki was playing with a pen, spinning it between his elegant fingers. 'Someone blew it up,' Tony continued. 'The entire place was burning, Loki, and the army have pulled out over seventy bodies so far. Some of them had their throats cut or their stomachs ripped out. It wasn't an accident, _someone_ went there and killed them all.'

Loki's bright green eyes found Tony's, and Tony couldn't read anything in them. There was no fear, no hatred, no worry... just a bright green colour that had never been more mysterious.

'So somebody took revenge on them for something they did,' Loki mused, his voice soft and thoughtful. 'Perhaps they made a lot of enemies. It's not surprising, considering what they did to you.'

Tony stared at him in disbelief. He knew- they both _knew_ \- that it had been Loki. Tony still didn't understand how, but it _had_ to be Loki. Rhodey had said the place blew sometime after Tony had got home. Loki had disappeared after putting Tony to sleep. He could have done it. Somehow... somehow Loki had gotten to Afghanistan and _slaughtered_ almost a hundred people.

'That's all you have to say?' Tony finally demanded. 'They had enemies and _someone_ did this to them?'

'Yes,' Loki nodded. 'What else do you want me to say?'

Tony shook his head and turned away. 'Just forget it,' he muttered.

Loki watched as Tony went back to his work; he could feel the taller man's eyes on him, watching as he applied more wires to the gauntlet.

'Are you coming to bed any time soon?' Loki asked.

Tony snorted. 'You're just assuming that I'm going to let you stay?'

'Then tell me to leave,' Loki countered.

Tony scowled at the gauntlet before sighing, his shoulders drooping. No matter how angry he was at Loki, he still... he wanted the man here, by his side. Tony wasn't ready to let go of whatever they had. And really, he could use some sex, even if it involved a lot of hate.

'I'll be up in a minute,' he finally muttered.

Loki hesitated before sliding from the desk. He bent and pressed a kiss to Tony's cheek, but Tony didn't turn, didn't even move until he heard the doors slide shut behind Loki. He sighed again and slumped back into his chair, staring at the glove sitting before him.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Tony slipped from his bed, careful not to wake the still slumbering man. Loki twitched a little and reached out, but his hand flopped onto the empty space Tony had occupied only moments before. Tony watched from the doorway as he pulled a wifebeater on, the material with a hole in the front to let his arc reactor shine through.

There had been a time, not long ago, when Tony had been able to sleep next to Loki peacefully. Now there were only nightmares; memories of being held face down in a tub of water until his lungs screamed and his eyes stung; momentary feelings of peace as he remembered what it was like to eat gruel and mouldy bread beside the little fire with Yinsen; the fear that clawed through his body, even now, as he secretly worked on a way to escape rather than rebuild the Jericho missile.

Loki did the best he could, Tony could admit. Sometimes all it took was a few soothing words from the green-eyed man to have Tony dropping into a peaceful sleep. But those nights were few and far between, and more often than not Tony woke up gasping, covered in sweat. He was loathe to wake Loki and actually talk, so instead made his way through the mansion, pouring himself a drink and disappearing into his workshop.

Loki hated it; he'd taken to glaring at the pieces of suit or diagrams that Tony was working on, and Tony knew that one day soon everything would come to a head. They were already arguing constantly. Loki refused to tell Tony how he'd rescued him, and Tony refused to talk about his nightmares. They were too stubborn to admit to everything that they were hiding.

Tony needed the suit. And he knew that Loki wouldn't understand that. Loki, who was all chaos and danger and manic energy. Tony just couldn't act that way any more. He had responsibilities he hadn't realised he had before. He had to make up for what he'd done. He had to protect, not just himself, but all of those who couldn't.

If Loki couldn't understand that, accept that, then... then Tony didn't know what to do.

He shook his head and left the room, making a beeline for the bar. He'd pour himself a large drink before getting back to work. He could deal with Loki later.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki had been in Malibu for six weeks. And, in those six weeks, he and Anthony had had sex four times, argued once every day, and ignored each other for an entire week. Loki was sick of it. Anthony was constantly locking himself in his workshop, working on what appeared to be a suit of armour. Loki didn't understand why. He also didn't understand why Anthony had shut down the weapons manufacturing part of Stark Industries. He had a feeling that it had something to do with the Ten Rings- whom Loki now knew had been the name of the people who had kidnapped Anthony- owning Stark Industries weapons.

Loki made his way through the dark mansion, wearing jeans and one of Anthony's t-shirts. The doors of Anthony's workshop were locked once again, but a quick jolt of magic had them sliding open. Tony was standing before a bank of monitors wearing a tight white shirt and sweats. Just a few weeks ago Loki would have crossed over to him and wrapped his arms around Tony's waist. Now, he stood behind the tables surrounding his lover and folded his arms.

'Why are you still down here?' he asked.

Tony didn't look around as he said, 'I'm working.'

'On what?' Loki asked.

'None of your fucking business!' Anthony snapped.

Loki's eyes narrowed and he dropped his arms to his side, fingers squeezed into fists. 'Is that all we're ever going to do?' he demanded. Anthony sighed and turned to face him. 'Just argue with each other?'

'Why not?' Tony shrugged. 'It's not like we have anything important to talk about.'

Anthony was still angry that Loki hadn't told him how he'd rescued the mortal, then. 'You lock yourself away in here almost every day and night,' Loki said. Anthony rolled his eyes. 'And for what? To build a suit of armour? Who are you trying to protect yourself from, Anthony?'

'I already told you that it's none of your business.'

'Do you really think that anybody else is going to try and hurt you?' Loki questioned.

'And why wouldn't they?' Tony snapped. 'I'm a billionaire, I'm a genius; I'm perfect kidnap material. That's already been proven, hasn't it?'

'And everybody knows how _well_ that ended for the kidnappers,' Loki commented.

'Yeah, well nobody _really_ knows what happened there, do they?' Tony snarled.

Loki didn't rise to the bait. 'Nobody's going to hurt you, Anthony,' he stated seriously.

'Why, because you're here to protect me?' Tony snorted and rolled his eyes. 'I don't need to be protected,' he then muttered and went back to his computers.

'And why not?' Loki asked, stepping closer.

'I don't need protection, Loki,' Tony sighed. 'Other people- people who don't have my money or my... weird over-protective whatever the hell you are.' That stung, but Loki kept his face impassive as Anthony continued. 'I need to protect them,' Tony said, glancing over his shoulder at the Trickster.

'Who is _them_?' Loki frowned.

'People,' Tony shrugged. 'Innocent people who are killed every day because of greed and poverty and... shitty gun laws.'

Loki sighed and closed his eyes. 'It's not your fault, Anthony.'

'Yes it is,' Tony said back almost immediately, which Loki had expected. They'd had this argument before. 'Those were _my_ weapons, Loki!' he growled. 'My weapons in the hands of terrorists. My company selling things that kill people behind my back. Me, creating things that have _killed_ innocent soldiers and civilians. All of their deaths are on my hands.'

'It wasn't your fault,' Loki insisted. 'You couldn't have known that your weapons were being sold behind your back. And if your company hadn't sold them, someone else would have. What's that saying that you humans are so fond of? Guns don't kill people; people kill people.'

Tony snorted and rounded on him. 'Seriously?' he demanded. 'You're gonna throw _that_ at me?'

'How else am I going to get it through your thick head that it _wasn't your fault_?' Loki snapped.

'I have shrapnel in my chest!' Tony shouted. 'Shrapnel from one of _my_ missiles! I have a fucking arc reactor in my chest because of one of my own weapons! It's my fault, Loki, nobody is to blame for that but me!'

'The person to blame is the person who fired the missile at you,' Loki said coolly. Said person had, hopefully, perished when Loki blew up the caves.

'How many people, do you think, were gunned down by my weapons, huh?' Tony asked. 'How many women and children and innocent men just trying to feed their families were slaughtered by terrorists with _my_ weapons?' Tony shook his head. 'You just don't get it, Loki. I have to make up for that. I can't live with that blood on my hands if I don't take some steps to make up for it.'

'And building yourself this suit will help?' Loki asked. 'You think that becoming some sort of hero will exonerate you?'

'No,' Tony growled. 'But at least I'll be doing something to make up for it.'

'Flying around saving people from other idiotic people won't bring back the humans who were killed by your weapons!' Loki snapped. This entire conversation was like trying to explain to Thor how going to Jötunheimr and slaughtering Jötnar wouldn't make up for all the Æsir blood that had been spilled. Brick walls made more sense than Anthony Stark.

'I know that!' Tony shouted. 'But it'll help! It's the only thing I can do!'

'What you can do is continue to make weapons that aid American soldiers,' Loki told him. 'You can continue to be yourself, which is a weapons manufacturer. You aren't a hero, Anthony, you're chaos and you know it. How long until you grow bored with being the good little boy playing hero?' he demanded. 'How long until you ache to destroy something, to build a gun, like you used to? You can't just throw away twenty years of your life because you were hurt by one of your own creations.'

Silence followed Loki's words. Anthony was frozen where he stood, his back rigid and still turned to Loki. Loki remained where he was, too, just waiting. Waiting for Anthony to either agree with him or continue to argue.

When Anthony finally spoke, Loki wasn't expecting the words that left his mouth.

'Get out.'

Loki stared at him. 'Excuse me?'

'You heard me,' Tony said, turning to look at him. His face were grim, eyes hard. 'You either accept that this is what I am now, or you leave.'

'You're choosing some stupid suit over _me_?' Loki demanded. 'I was the one who saved you!'

'I'm not choosing anything,' Tony said. 'I'm saying that you either accept this, or you leave. You accept that the change in attitude and the suits are a part of me now, or you get the hell out of my life.'

It was a stand-off; Loki and Tony stared at each other, both frozen, not daring to take their eyes off of each other. Loki couldn't believe that it had come down to this. Anthony was choosing a heap of metal over him. He would rather wrap himself in armour than have Loki. He would rather protect people who didn't need him- didn't deserve him- than be with Loki.

'You're choosing your suit over me,' Loki spat. No matter how Anthony worded it, that was what was happening. For maybe the four-hundredth time in Loki's life, he was being overlooked for something else, something better. Again, Loki was being left behind because he wasn't needed, wasn't _good enough_. The familiar bitter feeling rose up in Loki's gut and he didn't stamp it down; he let it wash over him. Anthony's words echoed in his ear. 'You're choosing your suit over me,' he repeated, voice hollow.

Despite what Anthony had said earlier, the mortal nodded. 'Guess I am,' he said.

Loki shook his head and looked away.

'So this is it,' he muttered. He curled his fingers into fists, nails digging into his palm. He looked back up at Anthony. 'I hope your suits keep you warm at night,' he muttered before leaving. The glass doors slid open for him, and Loki felt Anthony's eyes on his back as he left.

But the mortal didn't try to stop him, and Loki knew he wouldn't. Nobody ever stopped Loki when he left, because nobody cared.

Anthony was the same. He was like Thor and Frigga and Odin and every Asgardian Loki had ever met. They always chose someone else. Loki should have realised that Anthony would be like them. He was a fool to think that this was different; what he and Anthony had wasn't special, and it clearly didn't mean as much to Anthony as it did to Loki.

And, like the idiot he was, Loki had gone and fallen in love with the man.

_Never again,_ Loki spat at himself as he stormed form the mansion. _Caring isn't an advantage; it makes you weak. It makes you dependant on others._ Loki didn't look back at the mansion as he walked. He'd never return to Midgard if he could help it, and if for some reason he did he would destroy everything in sight. The walls that Anthony had unknowingly chipped away at rose again, and by the time Loki teleported back to Asgard, he was even more angry and bitter than he ever had been.

_Never again,_ Loki told himself.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


There was no other choice. It had to be the suit. The idea wouldn't leave, and Tony couldn't live with the knowledge of what his company had done; what _he_ had done. If Loki couldn't understand that, then too bad. It wasn't anything, anyway. They weren't in a relationship. They were fuck buddies. Tony could find a willing body in any club he walked into.

Tony shook his head and went back to finishing up. The suit was ready, and Tony couldn't wait to get it back into the air. JARVIS brought the suit forward and Tony ran his eyes over the red and gold paint. He tried to ignore the green eyes that kept flashing in his mind. Loki was gone. Tony had made the right choice.

It was just him and Iron Man, now.


	7. Chapter 7

“ _Stay for as long as you have time_

_So the mess that we'll become_

_Leaves something to talk about”_

_\- Brendon Urie [Panic! at the Disco]_

  
  


_**[Now]** _

  
  


Loki sat quietly where he was strapped into a seat on the quinjet. He was completely docile, staring ahead at the seats opposite, completely ignoring Tony and Rogers.

Tony didn't trust it. The Loki he knew from over a year ago would never sit quietly without a smug smirk on his face, or a dangerous leer. The Loki he knew from SHIELD footage would never let himself be so easily captured. He was planning something; he probably _already_ had an escape plan.

But Tony... he wasn't sure if he could risk it. He wasn't sure if he could trust Loki to get himself out of this. Tony wasn't sure if _he_ could get Loki out of this. He knew what SHIELD would do. Loki had killed over eighty people in cold blood. He was a god and could clearly handle pain. SHIELD would rip him apart to get revenge- to get any information they could.

'You shouldn't have come,' Rogers said suddenly.

Tony turned to look at him. 'You're welcome,' he muttered sarcastically.

'You weren't called,' Rogers said. 'I had everything under control.'

'Yeah, it totally looked like you had Loki begging for mercy,' Tony snorted. He still had his eyes on the Trickster in question, and saw Loki's lips twitch briefly. 'You don't know what he's capable of,' he muttered almost as an after-thought.

'And you do?' Rogers demanded.

'More so than you,' Tony didn't miss a beat.

'You think everything revolves around you, don't you?' the soldier asked.

'Doesn't it?' Tony turned wide, innocent-looking eyes on the man, as though the very thought of the world _not_ revolving around him was blasphemous. Loki actually chuckled at that, though it was quiet and quickly petered out.

'Oh, the world has _always_ revolved around you, hasn't it, Stark?' Loki said in clear amusement. Tony and Rogers looked at the god, but Loki kept his eyes on the wall opposite him.

'Sorry, Rudolph, I don't remember asking for your input,' Tony said.

'And hasn't that always been your folly, Stark?' Loki hummed.

Rogers was clearly confused, but Tony rolled his eyes. 'Whatever.'

'Such wisdom from the Man of Iron,' Loki muttered sarcastically. 'How you manage to talk anybody into buying your products is beyond me.'

'Hey, I talked you into a shit load of stuff if you remember!' Tony snapped, losing control of himself.

Loki finally turned to look at him, one eyebrow going up, and he even had Rogers' attention, too. If Natasha hadn't been busy flying the quinjet, Tony knew she'd be staring at as well.

'What do you mean?' Captain America demanded.

'Yes, Stark,' Loki drawled in delight, 'what _do_ you mean?'

'Nothing,' Tony grunted and turned to look out the window.

Rogers was eyeing him suspiciously, and Loki just grinned that sharp, dangerous grin that half-aroused Tony, half made him want to run in the opposite direction.

Before Rogers could ask Tony any more probing questions, lightning flashed through the sky, followed by the crackof thunder. Natasha frowned and flipped a few switches as she muttered, 'Where did this come from?'

Loki sat up straight when another boom of thunder sounded and the quinjet shuddered.

'What's the matter?' Rogers asked Loki. 'Scared of a little lightning?'

Loki glanced at them before looking back at the roof. 'I'm not overly fond of what follows,' he muttered.

Tony frowned and he and Rogers shared a look before Tony's eyes once more found Loki. Loki actually seemed annoyed, slightly fearful. His fingers were clenched on his knees and his blue eyes- _wrong, they're wrong!_ Tony's mind shouted at him- were fixed on the roof.

'Loki?' he couldn't help but question.

Loki didn't look at him, but his lips twisted upwards. 'Apparent brother of Thor, the God of _Thunder_ ,' he chuckled.

It hit Tony immediately. The thunder wasn't naturally, it was being created by someone. If Asgard had lost Loki, if Loki had come to rule the planet that Thor promised to protect... then Thor would come here after his brother.

Tony's time had run out, and he had a choice to make; let Thor take Loki and whisk him away to another realm; keep Loki safe and deliver him right into Fury's waiting hands; or...

_Or_...

Tony leapt forward, already knowing what his choice was; what his choice would always be from now on. Loki yelped slightly and looked up when Tony's hands easily undid him. The genius hauled Loki to his feet, ignoring Rogers' shouted, ' _Stark!_ '

Tony had designed these quinjets, so he easily found the button to open the tail. Wind whipped past Tony's face as the ramp lowered, and Loki stopped struggling in his grip. Tony locked eyes with the god before tossing him out of the plane.

'Stark!' Rogers shouted again, and Tony turned to face him. 'What are you doing?' the captain demanded.

'Something I should have done a long time ago,' Tony told him. And with that, he flipped his visor down and blasted his way out into the night.

  
  


{oOo}

  
  


Loki had hit the ground hard, and Tony felt fear grip his heart as he landed before the god. Fuck, he hadn't even thought about the fact that Loki couldn't fly... that was bad. But Loki seemed fine. He was laughing as Tony ripped his helmet off, and when he sat up his eyes flashed green. Tony's breath caught; that was good, right? Because the blue eyes, something about it had just... it was _wrong_. It had been like Loki wasn't completely there; like a fundamental part of him was... was missing, or something.

Loki was still laughing as he stumbled to his feet, looking none the worse for wear. Apparently being thrown out of a plane and hitting the ground didn't take much out of a god.

'Stark!' he shouted. 'Well, you brought about something that not even I could do. I suppose I should thank you for that.'

Tony frowned. 'What are you talking about?'

Loki's grin was dangerous as he advanced towards Tony, but the mortal didn't back down. 'And why should I tell _you_ , foolish human?' Loki demanded, baring his teeth. 'You made your choice long ago.'

'Lokes, I just wanna-'

Loki's hand wrapped around his neck, just like when Loki had kidnapped him, and Tony gasped as he was forced against the large rock behind him. 'No!' Loki snarled. 'You don't get to be familiar with me, Stark. I'm not the same man you left behind. Things have happened to me that you could never even _dream_ of. If you thought your time as a captive was bad, I can tell you a few things that would make your nightmares seem like _nothing_.'

His eyes were wide and wild, the bruises under them even darker up close. Tony ran his eyes over the taller man, hungrily drinking him in now that they were alone.

Slowly, Loki loosened his grip and stepped back. 'Why did you bring me here?' he demanded. 'What will your precious SHIELD think of you saving the villain?'

'You're not a villain, Loki,' Tony immediately responded.

Loki rounded on him, his eyebrows raised. 'Oh, yes,' he chuckled, 'I truly am. I've done things that would make your skin crawl, Stark.'

'I already know about all the people you've killed,' Tony shrugged. 'I knew that you slaughtered the people who kidnapped me, but I still slept with you. What makes you think that I'd care about a handful of SHIELD agents?'

'Seventy-eight SHIELD agents, if my mind remembers correctly,' Loki said. 'And if you didn't care, you wouldn't have sent me away.' His eyes closed off as he turned away, and Tony sighed. He should have known that Loki wouldn't make this easy.

'I know who you are, Loki,' Tony tried again. 'I know what you've done-'

Loki whirled around, angry once more. 'Don't even _pretend_ that you know me, Stark!' he snarled. 'I am a _god_. I am a former Prince of Asgard. I have slaughtered hundreds, I killed my birth father, and I tried to destroy an entire realm!' Tony's eyes widened. Wow, that was quite the rap sheet. 'I have done things that would make your good little heart stop in your chest.'

He got into Tony's face, and Tony couldn't even focus on the words that Loki was saying; because why did it _matter_ when Loki was here, safe and sound?

'The blood on my hands far outweighs the blood on your own,' Loki hissed. 'Don't pretend that you know me.'

Tony finally looked away from Loki's lips and up into his eyes. 'I bet I know parts of you that your brother doesn't.'

'Thor is _not_ my brother!' Loki snarled.

'Okay...' Tony shrugged. 'I bet you never laughed with him like you did with me. I bet you never rode a motorcycle through New York with him like you did with me. I bet you never just _enjoyed yourself_ with Thor like you did with me.'

Loki's eyes flickered, and Tony knew that he was right.

'None of that matters,' Loki finally said, stepping back again, closing himself off _again_. 'Nothing you say matters any more, Stark. The things that have happened to me... they changed me into who you see now.' He spread his arms and grinned like a maniac. 'I am here to subjugate the human race, and nothing you say or do will stop me.'

Tony shook his head. 'I know you, Loki, and this whole take-over-the-world thing? It's not you.'

'Oh?' Loki hummed, eyebrow going up. 'And why is that?'

'You could have taken over Earth years ago, but you didn't,' Tony said. 'You could have snuck into that SHIELD base and stolen the Tesseract without Fury even noticing, but you didn't. You made a grand entrance and made sure that we'd know what you were doing and come after you.'

Tony stepped forward, and felt hope grip his heart when Loki didn't back away.

'I know that you're capable of being completely invisible, Lokes,' Tony told him. 'Announcing yourself to SHIELD like that? It's just not you.'

Loki stared at him. 'I'm not the same man you once knew, Stark,' he said softly.

'So?' Tony shrugged. 'Let me get to know the man you are now, then. I'll learn the new you just as well as I knew the old one- no, I'll learn you better.'

Loki sighed and glanced away, suddenly looking tired. 'I don't know what you're saying, Stark,' he admitted.

Tony shook his head and wrapped his hand around Loki's neck. He felt Loki tense beneath his fingers, even through his gauntlet, and his heart skipped a beat. It wasn't right. Loki shouldn't flinch, not from Tony's touch.

'I realised that I was a fool,' Tony spoke honestly.

Loki just stared at him.

'I was a fool to think myself a hero when I'd lost the one person who knew me- who knew everything about me, my faults included- and still loved me.'

Loki's eyes widened, but he still didn't speak.

'I made a mistake,' Tony said, but then shook his head, eyes closing briefly. 'I made a lot of mistakes, Lokes. And when I saw you, just sitting there, waiting for us to... to lock you up, like an _animal_ ,' Tony's voice failed on the last word, and he had to take a deep breath to continue. He stared at Loki, gaze not wavering. 'I realised that I couldn't lose you, Loki, I just _couldn't_. I'm not a hero. And I can't... without you, I just _can't_...'

He wanted Loki to understand; he just couldn't live without the other man. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep. Sex was meaningless and just made him angry when the person beneath him wasn't Loki. Fighting for the good guys, taking out the villains as Iron Man, what the fuck did it matter when Loki wasn't with him? When Loki was on the other side?

Loki understood Tony; he accepted everything about him, the good and the bad. Rogers and Romanov and Fury? They only wanted Iron Man. They found fault in everything that _Tony Stark_ did. They didn't trust him, they didn't like him; he was only here because they'd needed him to find Loki.

Everybody in Tony's life had always been with him because they _wanted_ something; sex or money or tech or weapons... it was always _something_. Loki had been the first person- the _only_ person- to want Tony just for Tony. Faults included.

Loki was still staring at him, but now his mask faltered. 'Anthony...' he breathed, but trailed off. 'What...'

Tony squeezed the god's neck briefly. 'I'm chaos, Loki, and you know it,' he told the Trickster. 'I'm not a hero. Iron Man is... it's protection for me, not for anyone else, and I can't... Captain America, and SHIELD, they wanted to lock you up, and I couldn't do that.' He shook his head again. 'I'm not a hero if I can't lock up every bad guy, Loki. And you'll never be the bad guy, not to me.'

Loki tried to take a step back, but Tony's hand stopped him, so he paused. His arms twitched at his sides, and he asked, 'What are you saying, Anthony?'

'I'm saying... I love you,' Tony admitted. Loki's eyes widened even further before they fell, became closed off once more. But there was something there... a hint, a spark, that made Tony hope.

Loki tried to smile- that big, dangerous grin he threw at other people so that they'd stop talking to him. But it fell before it could truly form, and Loki just stared at him, his eyes wide and slightly wet.

'You chose your suits over me,' Loki pointed out, tilting his head back as he looked down on Tony. 'I asked you again, and _again_ , you chose your suits over me.'

'I was an idiot,' Tony shook his head. 'I made a mistake- _twice_. I won't be making it a third time.' He squeezed Loki's neck before saying, 'This time, and every time after this... I choose you.' And then he leaned forward and captured Loki's lips in a bruising, passionate kiss.

Slowly, so slowly that Tony almost decided to pull back, fearing that he'd made a mistake, Loki kissed him back, his hand wrapping around the back of Tony's neck to tug him closer.

And with that, Tony knew that Loki still loved him too.

  
  


{THE END}

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note:** Thus, we come to the end of this tale. Seriously, I just wrote and wrote and wrote until it was finished, it took me about seven fucking hours to get most of it down, and then a further two or three days to finish it off, but I finally got it done! It's not as long as I would have liked, but there's nothing I can do about that. Also, I listened to the song on repeat while I wrote, and iTunes now says that I've listened to it 245 times. So, yeah... I'm productive with my time, aren't I? I know the song off by heart now :p
> 
> The video that this is based on is one of the BEST fanvids that I've ever seen (and the song is awesome, too; one of my favourites). So all praise should go to **lighthopelove**. If you haven't watched the video yet, do so. The link can be found in the first chapter of this story.
> 
> Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it :)
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> {IBegToDreamAndDiffer}


End file.
